and EMILY BEHLMANN

The Telegram

Whether 7 or 52, several Garden City residents say they call her a pillar of support and strength, a source of inspiration and compassion, a shelter from nightmares who can play catch in a pinch.

They also call her mom.

If Twilla Siebert, 52, didn't exist, then her daughter, Christine, 24, wouldn't either.

It also means Christine Siebert wouldn't have gone back to school, attending Friends University through an outreach program at Garden City Community College. She also wouldn't be in the photography business.

"I wouldn't be who I am," she said of having her mom.

For Siebert, her mother is a constant source of support. And it's almost always positive, Siebert said, adding that if it lacks the usual positive tone, it's more "peaceful criticism" than negativity.

She describes her mother as strong, independent and a perfect example of who Siebert wants to be like. She also admires her mother's faith and the love her parents have for one another.

And Mother's Day, Sunday, is about paying respect to the woman who worked out of the home, always finding time to raise Siebert. She remembers being about 5 or 6 years old, waking up one night after a bad dream and her mom taking her downstairs and sitting with her in the rocker.

"I just remember her holding me all night long," she said.

"It means honoring the coolest people in the world...moms," Siebert said.

Tanner Lucas, 27, also sees his mom, Darlene Lucas, as "a hub of unconditional love and support."

Lucas lives closer to his mom, of Satanta, now that he works for the city of Garden City. Lucas said his mom's always been one of the people who's pushed him to be the person he is today.

Kelsey Schimke, 21, of Manhattan, is now a mom. Schimke was home this week visiting her mom, Becky Jones, of Holcomb, and Schimke aims to raise her 6-month-old daughter, Claire, like she was raised.

"I look up to her," Schimke said of her mother, adding her mother helps anybody no matter the situation.

For Schimke, who's celebrating her first Mother's Day, it's "a day to be pampered. Mothers do a lot."

Shawna Briggs, 24, also is a mom. To her, being a mom means giving Holly, 5, Hannah, 3, and Trent, 1, unconditional love, lots of affection and teaching them to be productive members of society. That's what she says her mom, Genene Simmons, did for her, "and she's my best friend."

Briggs said Mother's Day is a holiday to give thanks to mothers, adding she didn't fully appreciate and recognize what her mom gave her until having a child of her own.

Children appreciate their mothers, too, though they may not point out character traits, but rather their mothers' actions.

"Whenever my dad's gone, like, on business trips, she comes outside and plays baseball with me, because my dad usually does that," said Travis Nix, 10, of his mom, Carolyn Nix. "I think she's the best mom because she always cares for me."

Daniel Darter, 7, thinks his mom, Martha Darter, is cool because she's funny, she does things like supply the home with a Nintendo Wii and a Nintendo GameCube, and she takes him on trips.

For siblings Shelby Berry, 9, and Sam Helvey, 11, being a good cook is one quality that makes their mother, Debbie Berry, stand out.

"She's really nice -- sometimes," Sam said. "I love her pretty much -- really much, I mean."

Chanelle Andrews, 10, also said her mother, Angel Andrews, is a good cook.

"Well, she's not the best pancake-maker, but she can make lots of stuff besides pancakes," she said. "And she takes me to the park, and she does a lot of fun things with me. She rides horses with us sometimes."

Junior Leyva, 9, said his mom, Angelica Ortiz, does a lot for him, too. One of his favorite things to do with her is going to Dairy Queen, where he likes to order a chocolate brownie Blizzard.

Occasionally, the relationships are rocky.

Lexi Hogan, 9, said she and her mom sometimes fight, because they don't agree with each other.

"I usually have something different to say, and she has something different to say to me," she said.

Daniel said that when his mom gets upset with him, it's usually when he's getting into trouble with his brother or at school.

"When me and my brother get into fights, she can get mad -- like, really mad," he said. "And she can be very nice. She's the principal, so I have to be extra good, because if I get in trouble, I would get in trouble again at home."

Martha Darter is principal at Pierceville-Plymell Elementary School.

Although anger sometimes arises, both Lexi and Daniel say they have good, caring mothers.

"I love her," Lexi said. "That's really all."

It's too bad Mother's Day just one day, though, said Kimberly Sorensen, 36. But it doesn't mean mothers are any less special throughout the rest of the year, she said as she sat with her 16-month-old son, Gage.

"He's a blessing," she said.

Sorensen hopes to pass onto Gage what her mother, Joann Riemann, of Dighton, gave her: a good role model, someone to spend time with and a person who represents honesty, integrity, compassion, calmness, kindness, grace and a kind heart.