Behind the Scenes With the Moms who Create Mother's Day Cards

Behind the Scenes With the Moms who Create Mother's Day Cards



CLEVELAND, April 30  /PRNewswire/ -- If you're amazed at how well the Mother's
Day cards you send this year capture your own personal feelings, here's the
American Greetings (AM) secret: Many of the cards are written by women who are
moms themselves.

Senior writer/editor, Nicole Fraser, for instance, raised two boys. "My family
experiences provide an incredible dimension to my writing for Mother's Day,"
she said. "I think about the words I'd like to read from my sons and how it
feels to be loved and appreciated, and that inspires me to write Mother's Day
messages I think will tug at other moms' heartstrings, too."

One of Nicole's favorite self-composed Mother's Day card sentiments reads, in
part: "If a mother could see herself through her son's eyes, she would see
kindness ... she would see beauty ... she would see love. When I think about
the things that mean the most to me in life, Mom, I always think of your love
and you."

Special words for special relationships

Personal experiences like Nicole's relationships with her sons are only part of
the picture, however.  Since there are so many definitions of family today,
American Greetings' writers must be part-time armchair psychologists and
full-time observers of human nature. They draw inspiration from a wide variety
of sources, ranging from friends and family to snippets of conversation
overheard in an airport or in a supermarket to relationships in the news.

As writer/expectant mom Carolyn Koesters points out, "We want to have cards
that are perfect for every special 'mother' relationship, not just our own.
Today's diverse lifestyles and blended families require new types of cards and
messages."

There are cards suitable for giving to stepmoms, foster moms, aunts, sisters,
daughters and caregivers who are "like a mother."  One such card reads,
"Because you're like a mother to me, I'm thinking of you on Mother's Day.
Whenever I need advice, you're always there with an open mind and an
understanding heart.  I can't tell you how much that means to me.  Hope you
really feel appreciated today."

Koesters explains, "We draw on our own experiences, but we also put ourselves
in the minds of our children, our husbands, grandmothers and so on. It's just
easier when you understand the dynamics of a close family relationship."

The range of Mother's Day cards offered by American Greetings address close
family relationships, as well as those that have had their share of ups and
downs.  One such card reads: "Mom, we may not always see things eye-to- eye,
but we always seem to feel things heart-to-heart ...  So, on Mother's Day, as
always, I hope you know how very much you're loved. Happy Mother's Day."

Walking through the card department this year, there are cards with sentiments
from Koesters and Fraser, but more importantly, these cards say just what you
want to say.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link. Nicole Fraser
http://www.profnet.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=77108 

NOTE TO EDITORS: Interviews with Nicole Fraser and other Mother's Day

trend experts are available upon request.  American Greetings media contacts:

Laurie Henrichsen, Corporate Communications Manager, 216-252-4943, or via

email: [e-mail], or Amanda Todorovich, Public

Relations Coordinator, 216-252-7300, ext. 2912, or via email:

[e-mail].  For more feature ideas, high resolution

downloadable images and Mother's Day reference, visit the American Greetings

press room at http://pressroom.americangreetings.com/. Available Topic

Expert, click appropriate link.

    (AM)

DATASOURCE: American Greetings



CONTACT: Laurie Henrichsen, Corporate Communications Manager of American

Greetings, [phone], or 



Web site:  http://www.americangreetings.com/ 

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