Mom the Kangaroo: Look What's in Her Pocket

Kids don't draw what they see. They draw what they feel. And sometimes what they feel is: my mom carries absolutely everything.

The drawing

In our short film, six-year-old Noah draws his mom as a kangaroo. A big, tan, very capable kangaroo.

And her pocket is full. Inside: his baby sister, the groceries, the dog, and his homework.

Where's Noah? "I ride on her tail. She never drops anything."

Nobody sees everything a mom carries. Except her kids.

It's funny, and it's also completely accurate. Moms are famous for the "mental load": remembering the dentist appointment, the permission slip, the birthday present for the party on Saturday, the fact that the dog's food is running low. Most of it is invisible to other adults.

Kids see it, though. They might not know the word for it, but they know who has the snacks, the spare mittens and the answer to "where's my other shoe." Noah's drawing captures all of that in one perfect, slightly absurd image.

A birthday gift with a laugh and a lump in the throat

In the video, Noah gives the drawing to his mom for her birthday. She wears it on every school run.

That's the magic of a gift like this: it's funny enough to wear in public, and meaningful enough that she'll never give it away. Every time someone asks "why a kangaroo?", she gets to tell the story.

Great for

• Mom's birthday, as a gift from the kids (dad or grandma can handle the ordering)
• Mother's Day, when you want something more personal than brunch
• Christmas, as the present everyone at the table wants to see
• A new-baby season, when mom's pocket is especially full

Why turn it into a hoodie?

Because she'll actually wear it. Hoodies are what busy moms live in: on the school run, at practice, at the grocery store. A drawing on paper stays on the fridge. A drawing embroidered on a hoodie goes everywhere she goes, which, for a kangaroo, is everywhere.

We embroider the drawing exactly as your child made it. If the tail is too long and the groceries are bigger than the baby, that's how it stays.

How to get your own

Ask your child to draw mom "as an animal." You'll get some wonderful answers: an octopus, an owl, a mama bear, a very fast cheetah. Take a photo of your favorite and send it to us at anorashop.com, then choose a hoodie or a t-shirt. Our grand opening code BESTGIFT gives everyone 15% off.

Tag the mom who carries everything

She probably won't ask for anything this year. Give her the kangaroo anyway.

Send us your child's drawing. We'll embroider it on a hoodie or a t-shirt for mom.