Editor’s Note: For privacy reasons, names and certain details have been changed. These stories are shared by former houseparents who have served at various children’s homes to offer insight, encouragement, and prayer for those considering this role. To respect the privacy of the children in these stories, we use artistic depictions rather than real photos.

A Mother’s Day Like No Other

written by Kathy Lamberson, former house parent. 

Mother’s Day can be complicated in a home like ours.

Some of the kids don’t have moms in their lives. Some miss the mothers they’ve lost. Others struggle to understand what a mother’s love should feel like.

So I never expect much.

But this year, I got a card.

It wasn’t just any card. It was from a boy who had been with us for a long time, one who had never really expressed much emotion before. Inside, it read:

“This card is for you because you have treated me like a mother would treat a son she loved. You are the closest mother I’ll ever have.”

I had to stop reading for a second.

“You have treated me great, just like your own two sons, and I thank you for it.”

And tucked inside? A stuffed Tweety Bird.

My favorite. He had won it at Opryland and saved it for me.

That moment changed everything.

We don’t do this job for thank-you cards. We don’t do it for gifts. We don’t do it for recognition.

We do it because God called us to love.

But on the days when we wonder if we’re making a difference, moments like this remind us: we are.

Heavenly Father, we lift up the children who are longing for love, for security, for a place to belong. We thank You for the houseparents who stand in the gap, showing patience, kindness, and unconditional love. Lord, we pray that You bring new houseparents to fill the empty homes in children’s ministries across the country—parents who will be there, day after day, making a difference in the little moments. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.