by Steven Layne

Mom deserves a medal
For taking care of Dad.
Without her, boy, he’d be a mess;
His life would be so sad.

She packs his clothes for all his trips
And figures out his restaurant tips.
She does his laundry, cheers his teams,
Makes deposits, hears his dreams.

She runs his errands, makes his bed,
And stocks the fridge to keep him fed.
She irons his pants, ties his tie,
Hugs him tight to say goodbye.

Mom deserves a medal,
I certainly agree.
‘Cause when she gets Dad straightened out . . .
She moves right on to me.

Copyright © 2005 Steven Layne. From Verses for Mom’s Heart. Pelican Publishing Company. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

An Activity for this Poem

Design a medal for someone in your family or someone in your school. Use materials you can find in your classroom or at home. Make it look different from any other medal you have ever seen. What shape and colors can you use? Which letter font will look best?

Prepare a ceremony during which you can present your medal to the recipient at a family gathering or a class meeting. Prepare a speech that explains the reasons for the medal, and create a memory for your family or your school!

About The Author

Steven L. Layne is a faculty member in the Department of Education at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, where he teaches courses in literature and reading pedagogy. He is the author of more than one dozen titles published by Pelican, including My Brother Dan’s Delicious and The Teachers’ Night Before Christmas, one of the best-selling books in The Night Before Christmas Series. Layne is also the author of The Principal’s Night Before Christmas, Thomas’s Sheep and the Great Geography Test, and Thomas’s Sheep and the Spectacular Science Project. His novel This Side of Paradise won the 2001 Hal Clement Award for Young Adult Science Fiction. He lives with his wife and children in Saint Charles, Illinois.

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