Kids know what makes a perfect mom

Through the eyes of her three children, Dr. Maureen Fearon is a magical multitasker, a master of medicine and motherhood.

And while Fearon, of Naperville, clearly excels, there are more than 300 suburban children who take issue with results that put her at the top of the Daily Herald's Mother's Day Essay Contest.

Sydney Zwirowski, who attends Keller Junior High in Schaumburg, writes, "Not only does she provide us with the essentials, but she also gives my brother and I all the love we need."

Nina Gary, a student at Dryden Elementary in Arlington Heights focuses on something else: "What I love about her is that she teaches me things almost every day."

P.J. Kircher of Woodland Intermediate in Gurnee sees the bad and the good: "She gets a bit too mushy with me, but that means she loves me very much."

And Dylan J. Robery of Highland Christian Academy in Elgin offers what might be the highest praise of all: "She is fun."

Of course, they are all correct. They all have the best mom.

Provider, caretaker, teacher, affection-giver and playmate. Reading their essays, which appeared in Friday's Neighbor section, these children repeat these themes as the qualities that make someone a good mom. The same words come up in so many of their entries.

Strong. Confident. Caring.

In the suburbs, where the term soccer mom was born and came to define everything from the car you drive to the haircut you wear, it's easy to forget these are the qualities that truly define us as parents. Day-to-day, it's the newest video game system and the busy activity schedule that seem much more important.

But these kids know what matters.

Hero. One-of-a-kind. Best friend. That's what they are looking for. And, judging by the essays, that's what they're getting.

Today, we celebrate our mothers and grandmothers and daughters and aunts and sisters. Fearon is just one of these women. And her approach as part-time doctor, full-time mom is just one way to do it.

Bengi Sunar of Kennedy Junior High in Lisle tells us his mom makes the best rice and meatballs. Ashlee Gamache of Lincoln School in Palatine says, "My mom is a waitress in Chicago. She sees homeless out on the street. She does something about it."

Allison Baran, an 8th-grader with cerebral palsy at Winston Campus in Palatine, paints a familiar picture. "No matter what I want to do my mother has always encouraged me to try. And if it is something that I really want to do, she not only takes me there to do it, but she volunteers to work with the group in any capacity they need her."

But Lillian Hong of Naperville provides words that define today: "Even though my mom isn't perfect, she is even better than perfect to me."

Happy Mother's Day.