7 things it's never too late to ask mom

Mother's Day is an opportunity to fete your mom with flowers and to wear macaroni necklaces from your own tots. But it's also an excuse to really connect, to dig in deep with the woman who had the bravery to bring you into this world. We asked some of our favorite bloggers what they want to talk about with their moms and what they hope their own children will one day ask them. Read on for ways to collect stories about your mother that will will stand the test of time.

What was your childhood like?

Imagine what it will be like to one day share nuggets with your own kids about your time as a tot. "I love painting a picture of how I was a child once too," says Ruth of GraceLaced, "skinning my knees, failing a test, talking back to my parents, sneaking a candy bar, choosing my friends."

The same goes for your own mom. Especially if there's a divide between you, asking your mom about her time as a kid -- what she liked to do, what she wanted to be when she grew up, what her role in the family was -- can help humanize her. "I am always glad when I have asked my mom questions about who she was when she was younger...[It's] such essential information for me to pass on to my own children," says Amy of MomAdvice.

Do you have any regrets?

Maybe Mom wishes she'd done something different in her parenting or her career. Whether she wishes she'd written that novel or worn sunscreen, her answer will offer an insight. Says Jora of Domestic Reflections, "I'm sure her answer is something I could learn from no matter what it is." Give mom a giant life eraser and ask her what she would do differently if she could go back.

What is this thing called life?

Granted, this is a biggie, but have you ever taken the time to ask your mom what she thinks, gulp, the meaning of life is? She's got a few years on you and her experience likely affords some wisdom. Ruth of GraceLaced looks forward to her kids asking her this very thing, though "hopefully, they will have already seen it displayed in the way I live my everyday life."

What's for dinner?

Come 4 o'clock we're all wondering the same thing, and even if you suffered through her occasional culinary blunders, your mom likely has a fair bit of experience with the daily task of getting dinner on the table. Meg of Whatever says, "I have asked my mom for lots of recipes over the years that have made us all very happy....peanut butter pie, mint brownies, mexican chicken, lasagna. [I'm] so glad I asked."

How did you fall in love with Dad?

It's a story you probably look forward to answering yourself one day -- "That would be a very cool question to answer," says Jora of Domestic Reflections -- but it works equally well as a way to get mom to open up. "I can't wait for them to discover the measure of a man," says Ruth of GraceLaced, "and to discover what good taste their mother has!"

Even if your parents are no longer together, there's probably a sweet memory in there of loving a man enough to have made you. The answer might be healing for the way you view your parents' time together.

How do you feel about your work?

"I love when my kids ask me questions about what I do, and I love to ask them questions about what they think I am doing for my work," says Amy of Mom Advice. Have you ever spoken honestly with your mom about the work she does? It may be a world that gives her a huge sense of pleasure and purpose, or maybe she wishes she had been bold enough to try something else.

What do you think about being a woman?

This is one thing you and mom have in common, yet there's no denying that a generational -- and possibly even cultural difference -- has probably affected the way each perceive growing up female. Was your mom out burning bras? Was she ever aware of any prejudice against her because of her gender? Did she feel trapped or comforted by societal expectations for women?

Says Ruth of GraceLaced, who was born in Taiwan, "I would love to [...] know what it was like to have parents who fled Communist China; what it was like to begin a new life in Taiwan. What was it really like to have lived as a young woman in a culture that preferred boys?" Even if your mom's story isn't as dramatic, it will get you talking about one very powerful commonality between you two: what it means to be a woman.

A huge thanks again to our moms: Amy, Jora, Meg, and Ruth!

So what are you going to go ask of your own mama?

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