Fair Lawn Woman Is Mom Of The Year

FAIR LAWN, NJ — We asked you to nominate a mother who you feel should be Fair Lawn Patch's Mom Of The Year in honor of Mother's Day.

Jenna Piemonte and her sister, Hailey nominated their mother, Linda, and shared her amazing story.

Happy Mother's Day, Linda.

"There are so many reasons why our mom should win mom of the year. Not only did she move to the United States from Scotland to be with our dad and start our family, but she has done everything and anything to make our lives amazing from day one. Our mom has always revolved her entire life around us. Everything she does we know she is doing it with us in mind and to be able to give us the best life possible.

"Growing up, she made sure that work would never get in the way of coming to our sporting events, picking us up from school, or spending a few days off with us to go to the beach or take a vacation. When I graduated from high school, I took the month of June off to spend with me getting me ready for prom, graduation, and throwing me an amazing graduation party. When I had a 10-page paper to write on the environment, she watched a climate change documentary with me about seven times to make sure I had all the information I needed.

"This past semester, when my sister Hailey had pneumonia, she drove over three hours and bought a hotel room for her to make sure Hailey had someone to look after her (if that doesn’t deserve mom of the year, I don’t know what does.). She even spent thousands of dollars to send me to Italy this semester to study abroad and come out to visit for my 21st birthday. As I said, she does everything and anything to give us the best life and she really does nail it.

"Our mom has always been 100 percent behind us in all our decisions and pushed us to be the best we could be in anything we did. She never told us we couldn’t do something, whether it be guitar lessons, college choices, or any of our many passions. She is and will always be our biggest support system.

"Not only is our mom an amazing mom and supporter of us, but she is a great mom and supporter of everyone in our lives. She is a huge part of Fair Lawn All-Sports Girls Basketball and often goes on unnoticed and unacknowledged for her work and commitment. Our dad, Jerry is the president of Fair Lawn All-Sports Girls Basketball and our mother puts so much work into the behind the scenes of running a basketball program. She spends weeks organizing fundraisers, T-shirt sales, and end of season dinners, all while making it to various games to support the girls. She loves going to games and cheering on the young athletes and talking to their parents.

"Watching how involved our mom is still to this day in All-Sports without having a child in the program is so amazing and it truly shows how much she cares for this program and the girls. When we were part of Fair Lawn All-Sports, she made it to every game whether it be recreation or travel, and even coached a few of our teams. After we grew out of the program and on to high school, her dedicated continued and she helped our teams organize events, snack stands, and still made it to every game.

"Now that we are both in college, she loves when we get to take her to a Kent State University or University of Rhode Island sporting event. Anytime one of our team’s games is on television, she is watching it and looking for us in the crowd. It is so amazing to have a mom so dedicated to supporting our teams and hobbies.

"Our mom deserves the spotlight for all these reasons and more. There is nothing we would not do for our mom and we know she will always do anything for us. Her love for us knows no bounds and we always know that no matter what she is only a phone call or a drive away. It’s sometimes hard to believe that we got this lucky to have a mom and a best friend all in one."

Jess Baer also nominated her mother, Robin for Mom of the Year. Here is what she said about her mother.

"We call her "Fobin" because we donated money for a school in Ghana, Africa and when we went to visit on the plaque outside our classroom it said "Fobin," instead of Robin. "Fobin" is a super hero. She has this mom-like power where I can ask her where something is and she can give me the exact location of it. My mom puts up with my sister and my antics. She deserves this for everything she does."

Happy Mother's Day, Robin.

Photo: Robin Baer and her daughters. (Courtesy of Jess Baer)

Lead photo: Jenna and Hailey Piemonte and their mother, Linda. (Courtesy of Jenna Piemonte)