What does it mean to you to be an All American Mom? We asked, and you answered! Your essays were humorous at times, sad at others and, most of all, inspiring. Thanks to everyone who participated. And congratulations to the winners!

Kristen Verdi from Boca Raton, Fla., wrote:

During this patriotic season being an "All American Mom" hits especially close to home for me. Even though I have no children here yet, I am pregnant with twin girls. My husband is in the military and is currently deployed (for the second time) to Iraq and has been my entire pregnancy. I have had to deal with the trials and tribulations of holding down the fort while he is gone including setting up the girls' room by myself, going to doctor's appointments alone and even sitting in the hospital on the 4th of July with a pregnancy scare, all while trying to be strong for the both of us. But part of being an "All American Mom" is supporting my husband while he is fighting for this great country AND looking out for the health of our girls while he cannot be here. I send him all the sonogram pictures of our girls, and I even sent him a tape recorder so that he can record his voice for me to put to my belly so the girls will recognize his voice even though he is thousands of miles away.

Hopefully the military will send him home for the birth of the girls, but nothing is promised. It is very difficult, but that is part of the job, and having the pride and honor to serve in the military is definitely part of our values as a family.

I wish I could say my husband was here to take family trips to watch the fireworks or have BBQs in the backyard, but he has a much more important job to do right now, and part of being an "All American Mom" to me is standing behind him and also being the "dad" while he is gone. We look forward to sharing those times when he returns and hopefully next year we will be able to take the girls on base and watch the fireworks, have a BBQ and do all the things that All American Moms AND Dads do! But I know that when our girls grow up, they will have a great respect for their father and know that I tried to be the best "All American Mom" I could be!

An iParenting Community Member from Sacramento, Calif., wrote:

Being an All American Mom has many meanings to me. I am the proud mother of a beautiful 1-year-old little boy. I am raising my son to love people, animals, nature and all of God's creations. I want to instill in him strong values and morals and love for life. Being an all American mom means giving my son the tools he will need to live his life completely. Though I am bi-racial (black and white) and my husband is black and English is our first language, we are learning Spanish and sign language and teaching it to our son. He understands fully what we are saying or signing, and his comprehension is unbelievable for a 1-year-old.

I work for a department that has many disabled employees. My son visits my office at least once a week. My coworkers love him. He gets rides on wheelchairs, visits with the service animals and "helps" our blind vendor bag orders. If he is around a person with no limbs or in a wheelchair he reaches out to them to touch their faces. I am unsure why, but I like to think he is reassuring them that he loves them the way they are.

There is one coworker in particular, named Bob*. Bob was born without arms or legs. Whenever my baby sees him he crawls as fast as he can to climb into Bob's chair. I strap him in and Bob wheels him around the office while my son just stretches out against Bob's chest and laughs.

I am teaching my son that everyone is different. I am an All American Mom who wants my son to be non-judgmental of others, even-tempered, respectful and happy. I take him to the park every day and look forward to seeing him play sports and get good grades in school. But most importantly I am excited to see the compassion and love he has growing inside of him and for all he can share with others.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

Wendy D'Amato from Albany, La., wrote:

I don't want to say I AM the All American Mom because there are many like me out there and we all deserve the title. As a mom and wife of a former active duty Airforce husband I've learned the sacrifices families make when one serves their country. Now as a mom and wife of a police officer I'm learning the sacrifices are very similar and my role continues. Moms like me work extra hard to show their children that family is important and make them understand the sacrifices we make for the freedom we enjoy, like Daddy being at work most of the time.

All moms who are wives of servicemen install patriotism in their children, all the while making the extra effort to fill the Daddy role in his absence. We shuttle kids to practice daily, cook meals and involve our children in many activities, especially family events. Family is the greatest foundation in our children's lives, so we do our best to create a family atmosphere at all times for our children, even if your "family" is those you are close to while away from your real home.

Moms like myself make a point to do our best at work to be a role model as a working mom. Then we come home and work extra hard to make sure our children are not missing out on anything because their mom works. And sometimes that means a game of hide-n-seek is more important than the dishes. I'll just do them after my son goes to sleep.

I think that many women are the All American Mom and most of them are tired just because of the effort they put into being a mom. But the All American Mom wants to put forth that effort and that purpose overpowers the feeling of being tired. We just hope our children one day appreciate all that we've done for them. I salute all moms of children whose fathers are men of service. It's hard work but someone has to do it!

Roger Hammond from Monroe, Wash., wrote:

I am writing this because my wife, Bridget Hammond, wouldn't dare. She is the most selfless person I have ever met in my life, and any recognition she gets surprises her every time. She is the best mom in the world, too. She is the first one awake in the morning and the last one asleep. The food is always on the table and the laundry is always done. Should the kids say, "I'm bored" they are whisked away to the park, a movie, the pool, etc. If the kids would like to play a board game, she's right there in the middle of Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Disney's DVD Scene It? etc. What makes her simply amazing is that she's always happy and eager to help/participate with the kids' requests. And this doesn't only happen with our kids; it's the neighborhood kids, too. Just about every day I come home from work there are more kids in my house than belong to me. That to me speaks volumes because it's not that their parents aren't home, it's because they love my wife.

On top of all of this, she is the founder of a new company, Learning Lunch Products, Inc. The company's premise was taken from her actually writing little National Geographic for Kids facts on our son's lunch bag. Our 8-year-old son, Ethan, and our 6-year-old daughter, Tessa, look to her for almost everything and she rarely disappoints. She loves every minute of being a mom, and I can say without hesitation that she is the best mom I've ever met (including my own!).

Derlene Kuloloia from Mililani, Hawaii, wrote:

Being an All-American mom means having the luxury of choosing how I want to live my life while raising my precious, little children. If I elect to be a stay at-home mom, great! If I choose to be a working mom, awesome! In my opinion, if you can do it, no one should stop you. As for me personally, I'm a full-time mommy, part-time clerk typist, soccer coach, etc., etc., etc. I love what I do, and just to see the happiness in my children makes everything worthwhile. I knew that things would be difficult, but I manage to keep my home tidy, make healthy meals, help my kids with their homework, bathe the little ones and still find the time to have "alone" time for myself. If one sets their mind to it, anything is possible. Living in America gives us so many opportunities, and it's up to us to take advantage of it. Freedom of choice, what a wonderful way to live!