Fleeting Years, The: Mother's Journal, A

Along with Froot Loop bracelets and emergency wads of Kleenex, a mother wears her sentiments on her sleeve. At times achingly poignant, at times wildly funny, a mother's life is a nonstop, hair-greying, hand-wringing expression of selfless love. Hers is a heartbreaking, wonderful and surprisingly sticky task that leaves precious little time for Dr. Phil, and includes the service of an astonishing number of chicken nuggets.

Being a mother is both the easiest, and the hardest, thing that most of us will ever do. Laura Pratt, mother of four, shares her thoughts on the undertaking with vignettes that will bring a pang of recognition to all parents: exciting visits from the tooth fairy, the wrenching struggle of working parents on their children's first days with a sitter, the ongoing management of the legion bits of plastic that populate a child's world, the complications of travelling with children (and the dilemma of travelling without them), and the constant challenge to live up to the expectations of a little being who thinks that you are the sun and the moon together.

And naturally, in due course, there is also a mother's gradual, painful, inevitable displacement from the centre of her children's universe.

For Pratt, chronicling her family's experiences as her children have grown has been a way to keep the memories alive and close, reminding her of the value in every moment.

The Fleeting Years is the perfect Mother's Day gift -- any day of the year.