A proposal for a new mother’s day tradition
For Rebecca, Winston and Regina Walker
My Siblings
By
Rosaida Walker
Eldest Sibling
April 22, 2009
Dear Rebecca, Winston and Regina,
In response to the economic crisis in the world, which is wreaking havoc on our family, I feel we need to get more creative with the holidays in order to ensure we still enjoy ourselves, cherish our time together and make sure no one feels short-changed. To kick off this new leaf, I am writing to propose we start a new tradition for Mother’s Day.
We all know what an amazing woman our mother is. She has kicked cancer twice. She has worked hard to put us all through private school. She has given us her time, her love, her advice and her trust. However, our current tradition doesn’t seem to measure up to what she really deserves.
I understand how hard it is to do something really spectacular on our own. Two of us are unemployed. Becca is saving up for another mission trip, and Winston is trying to pay off his college. Enclosed is my proposal which will not only save us money but will also honor an extraordinary woman. Look it over and feel free to contact me with questions, comments or concerns.
Love,
Rosa Walker
Your big sis
Abstract
Our current Mother’s Day tradition consists of taking mom out to eat at The Golden Corral or some other all-you-can-eat restaurant after church. Afterwards we usually present mom with several small, inexpensive gifts and she smiles politely, insisting “It’s the thought that counts.” At the time, it seems we have done what we could, but I believe we can do something different that would leave us feeling more fulfilled and put a megawatt smile on mom’s face. Instead of the normal dine and dash, I think we should complete one of the projects on mom’s to-do list for the house. This new tradition will not cost any extra money and, if implemented, can start Mother’s Day 2009.
Scope and Sequence
This proposal will provide background information on our family and financial situation, outline the problem, and propose a reasonable solution. It will also include the benefits of accepting the proposal and a summary of all new information.
Background
Willis and Raquel Walker married in November of 1979. They brought four beautiful children into the world: Rosaida (28), Rebecca (27), Winston (19) and Regina (16). Willis Walker had only an 8th grade education at the time of the marriage after being forced to drop out and get a job to support his mother and younger siblings after his father passed away. He later got his G.E.D. and has worked at Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley) for over 15 years. Raquel Walker was a high school graduate at the time of the marriage and originally went to school to be a nurse. She began working at Northwestern Mutual Life in 1984 and is now getting ready to celebrate 25 years with the company.
Willis and Raquel sacrificed to buy a home in a good neighborhood and put their children through a K-12 Christian school in Oak Creek to ensure a superior education and a safe, nurturing environment for them to grow and learn. I am the oldest child. I am a junior at Alverno College and mother to Willis and Raquel’s three grandchildren, Aiyanna (8), Adrian (7) and Leilani (4). I am unemployed after being laid off from my last full-time job in September of 2008. Rebecca, the first middle child, works as a receptionist for the Alzheimer’s Association and is preparing to go on her third mission trip to Ghana, Africa and a trip to Japan as well. Winston, the only boy, a bartender/server at Applebee’s, is working his way up to a manager position. He attended UWM for one semester, but decided traditional college is not for him. Regina, the baby, will graduate high school in June, 2009 and has never had a job outside the home.
Statement of the Problem
Even though we love our mother very much and would like to give her a generous token of our appreciation, all of us children are working with some very limited resources. As you know, I receive no child support for any of my children. The assistance I receive from the state and unemployment compensation is not nearly enough to cover my bills, let alone all the things three growing children need. As the oldest, I should be the one setting the bar high. But going to school full-time and being a full-time single mom doesn’t leave much time for working a full-time job during the semester.
Winston can relate to this. He felt the exhaustion and stress his first semester at UWM. Being the only working sibling living at home, he also feels the added pressure to help mom and dad with their mortgage and other bills, as well as paying off his school and his fiancée’s engagement ring.
Becca can relate to all the many demands on her paycheck. There’s rent, utilities, food, gas, tithes and insurance to start. Then there are the non-profits she supports both financially and by volunteering, including her church’s choir and youth group and her annual mission trip to Africa.
Regina, like all of us, has not been allowed to work because our parents want her to concentrate on her studies. Their efforts have not been in vain. Evidence of this will be seen on June 5th, 2009, when she graduates from high school a year early.
Given our financial status, our Mother’s Day celebrations are usually thrown-together last minute with whatever funds we can scrape out of our piggy banks, couch cushions or automobile cup holders. The result is us putting off gift-time as long as we can and each of us holding our breath and hoping someone else got her a crappier gift. I feel this is awkward and cheapens her big day. With all that she’s done with us, I think we can make a little more effort to spend one day doing something really special for her.
Proposed Action
I propose that instead of spending money for all of us to eat at a restaurant, we roll up our sleeves and cook mom a fantastic meal. Furthermore, knowing how hard mom and dad fought to keep their house when they were facing bankruptcy, I propose that our gift to mom should be to complete one of her projects around the house. Whether it is painting, planting a garden, cleaning the basement; any project she may choose, we will do it.
Budget
Here is a list of possible projects and the costs related to completing them.
1.) Organize closet in grandkids’ room and paint it.
Dad has paintbrushes, painter’s tape, newspapers and anything else we would need.
2.) Planting a Garden (Weather permitting)
Virtually free. Mom has all the equipment and the seeds. She just hasn’t had the time or energy to do it herself.
3.) Cleaning out the storage room in the basement
Again, this one is not an expensive project. However, it would require us to decide between
parting with some things we have stored there by donating them or carting them off to our own houses when we are done. Also we may need to replace some of the cardboard boxes with plastic totes. She has done this already with things like photo albums and important documents, but a few more wouldn’t hurt since the basement floods at least once a year.
Benefits
The cost for 6 adults and 3 children to eat at The Golden Corral is approximately $90.00. That’s about how much I spend on groceries for my whole family for the week. If you add in our usual $20 gifts, we spend about $170.00 each year. For about $40.00, I can purchase all we need for a succulent, filling lunch for all of us. Restaurants are often crowded on Mother’s Day. The children tend to get restless and irritable when waiting in the long line to be seated. This way we will avoid the crowds and everyone will be comfortable and happy. And of course, there’s the opportunity to help fulfill a dream from mom’s wish list and to parade family member’s by our handiwork during other family functions held at our childhood home. It’s a win-win situation.
Summary
Mom has always been there for us when we needed her most. Now that we are all adults, it’s time to start leaning more on each other and less on her. The time has come to give back to the woman who gave us life. This country’s economical crisis has affected us all, but by being creative and working together, we can still do nice things to create beautiful memories for the people we love. That’s what this proposal will help us do.
