What Mother's Day means to the Verteramos

Each year, the Topsail Advertiser celebrates Mother's Day by featuring a local mother and daughter who speak with us about each other and what the holiday means to them. This year, we picked Hampstead residents and Faith Harbor United Methodist Church members Shari and Jaime Verteramo, mother and daughter respectively.

The family, which also includes father James and son Jameson, moved four years ago from Long Island to their rural Pender County residence, complete with a pond. For a family from New York, they seem all too comfortable to be living in a neighborhood with llamas and goats.

"I'm actually from a part of Long Island that's very similar to this. We really like being here," said Shari.

"It's better down here. I like the weather and I have more friends," said Jaime, 12, who attends Topsail Middle School.

When asked about any Mother's Day traditions that take place in the family, both Shari and Jaime beamed about how simple they keep it each year.

"Both children make me breakfast that morning. Some years it might be pancakes, other years it might just be a bowl of cereal. Either way, it's so nice. I also celebrate a long-distance Mother's Day with my own mother in Long Island by exchanging silly cards with her. Oh! I also tell Jaime one thing my mother told me: ‘When you're married, I don‘t care where you live, as long as it‘s not in my back yard,'" laughed Shari.

The Verteramos also have another Mother's Day tradition that everyone in the family agrees on: they get rid of the men! Jameson and James, along with other men in the neighborhood, take off to South Carolina for a NASCAR race. Jaime can hardly catch her breath to say how excited she is about this annual treat.

"We get to kick the boys out and I get Mom all to myself for the day," blurted Jaime.

Shari's face shows so much motherly pride each time Jaime speaks. It is evident that she notices that her daughter can alternate between being wise and unselfish beyond the years of your average 12-year-old to becoming an everyday kid who just wants to tell you all about her softball team. (She also insisted that her baton skills with the Thunder Majorettes be mentioned, as well.)

It would be hard to get many seventh graders to say nice things about their mom with their mom standing there, but Jaime is more than eager. She explained her mom with a simplicity that matches their Mother's Day routine.

"She's just Mom! She's like Superman. But she does drive me crazy when she sings these stupid songs to me that are on the babyish side. She and my dad both do it, but at least I can tell him to stop it. I would never tell her to shut up," laughed Jaime.

Shari playfully interjected, "Ever since she was a baby, if she was a little bit down, I make her give me a word and I'd make up a song that begins with that word. And I still do it."

Trail riding and go-carts are two other interests of Jaime's that her mother is fully supportive of, well almost fully supportive.

"I take her to all of her activities, but I told her she can't have her own horse; I know who will end up feeding it - me! I told her when you have your own piece of land you can have your own horse," said Shari.

While hearing the explanation of why a horse at home is a bad idea, it is evident that Jaime understands why she cannot have this one thing she wants. A smooth point in their relationship is that when mom says "no" to her children, she at least explains why she said it.

During the interview, Jaime told her mother that she gets to say one, and only one, critical thing about her. However, like most moms, even criticism turned into praise.

"Sometimes I vent to her. Well, we vent to each other as a team. We like sharing our thoughts and socializing. I've been blessed. Now that Jaime's becoming older, it's a sheer pleasure to have her around. She's a joy. Did you know that one of her teachers told me that Jaime is the kind of girl they'd like to have a cup of coffee with and just talk with before school," doted Shari.

As they stood on the dock of their pond sharing their thoughts about each other, Shari, like so many mothers, gave a final thought on everyone but herself.

"I hope everyone reading this remembers to do something for their mothers on Sunday," said Shari. Then she turned to her only daughter and smiled.

"Jaime, I think you and me are going to be okay."

Unless Jaime and her future-husband one day decide to live in the backyard.