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Sitting in the congregation on Mother's Day morning was a tense affair. We'd left Jessica home sick. Samson seemed to be coming down with something. Belinda was scowling at me. Monica wanted her back tickled. Caleb was flinging fruit snacks. And Alana was sitting on the stand.

When your 13-year-old daughter announces that she had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting—on Mother's Day—it can strike terror in your heart. It certainly did mine.

Alana is my actress, my performer, the child voted Most Likely to Be the Center of Attention Forever. I can't think of anything so personal that she wouldn't gladly share it publicly with an excess of facial expression, dramatic gestures, and skillfully weaved exaggeration for a laugh or a bit of crowd approval.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. I tried to slink down below the bishop's line of sight. The whole ward would know, unequivocally, that I am just as bad as they suspected.

Here's some of what she said:

One Thursday morning, I was running down the stairs, my hair tangled and one of my shoes on and one off. I bolted to the door, my heart was pounding and my breathing became tense. My mind raced with doubts

“Am I going to make it? Are my gi and belt tucked safely away in my bag along with my math homework?”

I threw open the garage door, half expecting to find the car grumbling critically, with my mother worried and anxious. My mouth dropped open. She was gone. They left me!

Though at that moment I blamed the entire incident upon my poor, innocent mother, I know she was just trying to get my brother to his karate class—which is before mine—on time. The real reason for this mess was that I slept in. I was under the impression that the alarm clock in my room was actually a large beeping mushroom, and it was rather friendly, too.

Regardless of my dream, this is just one of many unfair accusations mothers take every day. As you might have guessed, I wasn't too happy with my mother's behavior that day. That was a lesson I had to learn. Unfortunately, I was ignorant about the easy way to learn it. I had to understand that If I'm not ready, I am going to be left behind. That's true with jobs, college, motherhood, and in the real world.

I really love to sing and be on stage and play instruments and things. My mom encourages me, helps me, gives me advise, motivates me, and drives me where I need to go. She is awesome. But she doesn't make me do any of that. It's because I love doing it, she takes the time to help me be the best I can possibly be.

Besides that my mom is and does all this fabulous stuff, she's also my teacher. She has taught me not only to be a better individual, but to be a more intellectual, smart, and successful one, too. My mom has an awesome personality. I can confide in her and I know she'll help me the best she can.

Another thing I love about my mom is that she can have a good time. When it's really late at night, I can be really weird, but she just goes right along with me, we just have fun and let loose and talk, talk, talk about everything! And you know, no matter how weird or stubborn or drama-queenish I can be, I know she'll love me. That kind of unconditional love is such a great thing to have.

Over all, my mom is the most awesome, cool, fun, smart mother I could ever wish for. I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Can you believe it? My darling daughter didn't embellish at all!

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.