“Mother’s Day,” a fictional piece written by Esmè Kaplan-Kinsey, is an astonishing story. It is about a young boy who has a substitute that day at school. It’s Mother’s Day and they are told to decorate cups for their moms. The problem is, Milo’s mom left two years ago. So at first, he denies the cup. Then he takes it, and decides to decorate it for his dad instead. He remembers how much he loves surprises so he hides it behind his bag when getting picked up from school. His dad looks at it confused, and gets frustrated because he thought the teacher knew about Milo’s mom. When he explains to his dad, the dad, whom was so angry a minute before, begins to cry, and that’s how it ends. It is such a heartfelt story that deserves recognition beyond words.

I absolutely loved this piece. It was just amazing in so many ways. I know people who go through these types of problems, and through a seven year old kid’s point of view, Mother’s Day is just a holiday to celebrate his only parent. Milo’s dad is portrayed in a very bad way, and the ending just captivates the reader because after all, even the dad is emotional, and loves his son. My favorite line is, “‘Dad! Ms. Gibson wasn’t there, it was a constitute. Or, no, a substitute. I just wanted to make you a mug.’ … I think I might start crying after all. But Dad beats me to it.” This part is just beautiful, as it portrays the innocence of Milo, and how it changes what the dad thought of the whole situation. Esmè Kaplan-Kinsey did an incredible job with this story.