Activity
Have children / youth list things that their mothers say to them. As a fun variation, ask them to list three of the most common things said by their mothers to them on a piece of paper. Place them in a bowl and randomly distribute them. Youth must then try to guess whose mother the sayings come from.

Debrief
Discuss how these things are a mother’s way of taking care of them. See the list below for some ideas. You could also ask children / youth how many of their mothers have said things like these. What is the rationale behind these sayings? Are they all true?

Sayings of Mothers
• A little “birdy” told me!
• A little soap & water never killed anybody.
• Always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.
• Am I talking to a brick wall?
• Answer me when I ask you a question!
• Are you deaf or something?
• Are you going out dressed like that?
• Are you lying to me?
• Are your hands broken? Pick it up yourself! I’m not your maid!
• As long as you live under my roof, you’ll do as I say.
• Call me when you get there, just so I know you’re okay.
• Clean up after yourself!
• Close the door behind you — were you born in a barn?
• Cupcakes are NOT a breakfast food!
• Did you brush your teeth?
• Did you flush?
• Did you clean your room?
• Did you comb your hair?
• Do as I say, not as I do
• Do I look like a maid?
• Do you think I’m made of money?
• Do you think this is a hotel?
• Do you think your socks are going to pick themselves up?
• Don’t ask me WHY. The answer is NO
• Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back
• Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll freeze that way.
• Don’t eat the seeds or you’ll have watermelons growing out your ears
• Don’t EVER let me catch you doing that again!
• Don’t go out with wet hair, you’ll catch cold.
• Don’t make me come in there!
• Don’t make me get up!
• Don’t pick it, it’ll get infected.
• Don’t put that in your mouth, you don’t know where it’s been.
• Don’t run in the house
• Don’t sit too close to the television
• Don’t talk with your mouth full!
• Don’t use that tone with me!
• Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you!
• Don’t you have anything better to do?
• Eat those carrots, they’re good for your eyes. Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?
• Eat your vegetables, they’re good for you.
• Enough is enough!
• Go ask your father
• Go to your room and wait until your daddy gets home!
• How can you have nothing to wear? your closet is FULL of clothes!
• How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tasted it?
• How many times do I have to tell you…don’t throw things in the house!
• I can always tell when you’re lying.
• I can’t believe you can sleep in this filth!
• I didn’t ask who put it there, I said “Pick it up!”
• I don’t care what “everyone” is doing, I care what you are doing!
• I don’t care who started it, I said stop!
• If it were a snake, it would have bitten you.
• If you’re too sick to go to school, you’re too sick to play outside.
• If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
• If you don’t stop crying, I am going to give you something to cry about!
• I’m doing this for your own good.
• I’m not going to ask you again.
• I’m not just talking to hear myself.
• I’m going to give you until the count of three.
• I’m going to skin you alive!
• Isn’t it past your bedtime?
• I’ve had it up to here with you.
• Life isn’t fair.
• Look at me when I’m talking to you.
• Men perspire, ladies glisten.
• Money does NOT grow on trees.
• No child of MINE would do something like that.
• Over my dead body!
• Pick that up before somebody trips on it and breaks their neck!
• Say that again and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.
• Shut the door! I’m not heating (air conditioning) the entire neighborhood!
• Sit like a lady!
• So it’s raining? You’re not sugar — you won’t melt.
• Someday your face will freeze like that!
• There’s enough dirt in those ears to grow potatoes!
• This hurts me more than it hurts you.
• What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
• What part of NO don’t you understand?
• When you have your own house then you can make the rules!
• Who died and left you boss?
• Why? Because I said so, that’s why?
• You can be anything you want to, if you just set your mind to it.
• You had better wipe that smile off your face before I do it for you.
• You must think rules are made to be broken.
• You will ALWAYS be my baby.
• You won’t be happy until you break that, will you?
• You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached to your shoulders!
• Your father is going to hear about this when HE gets home!
• You’re going to put your eye out with that thing!
• I LOVE YOU!

Application

God gives us instructions and takes care of us, just like our mothers do. Everything he says can be trusted and is for our benefit. We should be thankful to God for mothers to take care of us. They might not always be perfect as God is, but they do love us and are a little bit of heaven on earth.

This Mother’s Day teaching activity can be a Children’s Sermon or a reminder for any day that mothers look after us just as the Heavenly Father does.

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