I saw a blog suggestion this week that we should all buy our moms a copy of I’ll Love You Forever for Mother’s Day.

Now I like a good Robert Munsch tale as much as the next girl, and admittedly, the book is very sweet. But do NOT buy your mom a copy unless you want her to (a) cry and (b) throw up in her mouth before even tasting her first bite of her Mother’s Day French-toast-in-bed.

I spent all week travelling Ontario and talking to kids — hundreds of kids — about people who have taken risks and overcome obstacles to change the world. Some of those people were explosion-obsessed scientists. Some of them were teen activists. Some of them were moms.

None of them climbed through their children’s windows late at night. They had other things to do!

So if you’re going to buy your mother a book, buy her a biography of Lois Gibbs or Emily Jennings Stowe or Elizabeth May. Buy her a novel by Lynn Coady or Margaret Atwood or Angie Abdou.

At the very least, write her a card that says:

Thank you, Mom, for showing me how to run a business, how to make great friends, how to offer help to a neighbour in need, how to build community, balance a cheque book, adhere to a budget and a schedule, work hard, drink wine, bake muffins, build a mean campfire, and yes… take care of children.

Thank you for NOT crawling through my bedroom window.

I’ll love you forever not only for being a great mom, but also for being a great woman.

And let’s hope our kids will love us for the same.