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***image1***My Mom, Katrina Goold
Kaiserslautern American Elementary School Elementary School Grand Prize Winner
“No, we don’t have the money for that right now.” It’s something I hear a lot from my Mom, like most kids. Only when I hear it, it’s not something that I want, it’s something that she wants. My Mom goes without anything for herself most of the time so my sister and I can have as much as she can give us.
Mom works hard everyday so we can have a little bit of money to put away now and then so maybe once in a while we can afford to go and do something nice as a family. Sometimes she works extra hours, which make very long days and still drives clear across to Sembach and back to get my sister. She could find somewhere closer, I know, but my sister loves the babysitter that she had when we lived over there and Mom doesn’t feel right about making her go to a stranger’s house just because it’s closer.
When my Dad was deployed, Mom would work even harder because she was the only one at her store in Sembach. She could have gave up and quit, but she kept it going so she would have a place to work and be able to get us nice stuff. And she still worked hard to be a good mom for us and even for Dad. She would spend her little bit of personal time doing stuff with us or putting together huge boxes to send Dad with snacks, shower stuff, and games.
Then, while Mom was still being a single parent, she fought for a better house for us because our house in Sembach had bugs and bad water. When she won the fight, she moved us herself, organizing a new home without any other adult help besides me. Some nights around this time she went to work the next day without any sleep all night long.
My Mom works hard at home, too. She tries to make sure she is spending time with us and teaching us things even though she is usually very tired. She tries to have dinner ready when my Dad gets home from work, which usually means trying to guess how late he will have to work. She knows that he doesn’t have much time either and wants him to be able to spend time with us as a family. She says he can’t do that if he has to come home and make his own dinner.
Sometimes I have heard my Mom talking to my Dad about how bad she feels because they aren’t able to get us more. I hope that this paper will help me show her that she does give us a lot. And she teaches us how to be good parents for our kids. As long as I am as good of a Dad as she is a Mom, my kids will be alright, because she really is the best mom in the KMC.
For Mother’s Day, the USO sponsored an essay contest for children in the KMC called, “Why My Mom Should Be Honored on Mother’s Day.”
There was a grand- prize winner and runner up from each of three categories: elementary school, middle school and high school.
The grand-prize winning essay writers were surprised at school and their mothers were surprised at home.
The grand-prize winners each received a four-day/three-night trip to Euro Disney, car rental with GPS and a $400 Spa Vogelweh gift certificate.
The honorable mention winners each received a Disney DVD library and USO tour voucher to any USO Express Tour destination.
Coming June 8 in the KA: The middle school grand prize winning essay.
