Recently I saw an interview with former president Jimmy Carter about his new book, A Remarkable Mother. I felt envy. Not for the first time, I wished I had been born to a "remarkable mother". As the interview progressed it became evident that she also had her shortcomings. One of these was to consistently diminish the ego of her doting son. One anecdote I particularly enjoyed was the time she was asked, "Are you proud of your son?" She immediately responded asking, "Which one?" Obviously the interviewer was referring to her son, the president of the United States.

A remarkable mother refuses to choose one child over another and does her best to minimize or eliminate sibling rivalry in her family. My mother to this day proclaims her equal love for all three of her children. Every child deserves to be loved "best" and a remarkable mother imparts this feeling to all of her children too.

A remarkable mother teaches her children that all people are created equal and deserve respect. She role models the pursuit of her own happiness while taking care of the family's demands. Lillian Carter joined the Peace Corps in her seventies and championed civil rights throughout her life. A remarkable mother ages as gracefully as possible for everyone's sake.

A surefire way to have your own remarkable mother is to make remarks about her to all who will listen. My own mother managed household duties, a difficult marriage, mothering and maintained a demanding low-paying job to help support the family. I witnessed her rise early, work late and often collapse exhausted. The next day she did it all over again. She bore her last child, my brother, "later in life" and did a remarkable job holding things together. She set an example of faith and devotion to her religion.

Though I often criticized her "old country" ways while growing up, she often surprised me with her astute observations and raw intelligence about life. She still does. She role-modeled devotion to her siblings and especially to her beloved mama, my nana Susan. She still speaks of her often and fondly.

Even though she disliked company and holidays we always enjoyed special meals for special days. She kept a very clean household and annoyed me constantly with her tidy demands. She did teach me how to clean and how to persevere.

Over the years I have often criticized her more than praised her. Sometimes I modeled my own parenting style more in opposition to her mothering than as affirmation. This behavior always hurt me more than her. These are just a few remarks about this wonderful woman who bore me. Her name is Dolores, my remarkable mother.

"Happy Mother's Day" to all you remarkable women out there with the toughest, most demanding and rewarding job on the planet.