Writing Mother’s Day Similes

Let’s spice up a Mother’s Day card with rich, thoughtful similes!

First, we’ll identify something mom does that’s particularly great. This might be something she does at work, around the house, or perhaps while volunteering. We’ll use these three examples:

• Cooking
• Fixing the car
• Accounting

Then, we’ll build on these ideas to make a clever metaphor for mom’s love.

• Cooking: perhaps mom’s love is as wonderful as something she cooks
• Fixing the car: mom helps me like someone tuning up a car
• Accounting: mom is careful and thoughtful in the way she loves me

Build The Simile

Now, we’ll make the connection as a simile:

• Your love is as wonderful as a steak.
• You help me with homework like a mechanic tunes up an engine.
• When you make sure I’m ready in the morning, you’re as careful as when you check financial records.

Get More Specific!

Let’s beef up these simple similes by getting more specific. I’ve revised my earlier examples below:

• Your love is as wonderful as a perfectly cooked, medium-rare t-bone with a potato on the side.
• You help me with homework like a mechanic tuning up a 2.2L V6 turbocharged engine just before the Indy 500.
• When you make sure I’m ready in the morning, it’s like you’re meticulously checking your top client’s records.

Make Them Metaphors

In my experience, students are less comfortable with metaphors. Encourage students to convert their similes:

• Mom, your love is a perfectly cooked t-bone that I’ve waited for all day!
• When you help me with homework, you’re a mechanic, getting an engine ready for the Indy 500.
• When you make sure I’m ready in the morning, you’re a thoughtful auditor, looking for the slightest error.

Obviously, these have to become illustrated cards to hand to mom. Here’s my sample:

If you try making Mothers Day similes, be sure to let me know how it goes!