SuperMom Money: Heroic Moms Blast From the Past

Over the course of the last year or so we have researched and written about dozens of SuperMoms who are consistently inspiring us through their displays of courage and selflessness when it comes the wellbeing of their children, or even other people's kids. But these acts of heroism are not limited to modern times, mothers have been sacrificing everything for their children since the beginning of our existence. So i've gathered a list of four admirable women who risked it all for their children long before technology and social media could recognize their heroic deeds. 

1788:

When her house was under attack by Native Americans and her husband was badly injured, left unable to defend his family, instead of panicking or giving up Mrs. Merrill took matters into her own hands. She fought bravely, preventing any of the attackers from entering her home with sustaining significant injury. The attackers were so stunned by her actions and courage that the eventually retreated from the home, leaving the children unharmed. 

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1862:

A report in the Hereford Times from 1862 acknowledges the bravery and devotion of a Montenegrin woman who refused to let her four sons stand alone on the battlefield in the midst of combat. She stood beside her sons and protected them with all she had, and even after none were left standing she is remembered for standing before the enemy declaring she would "never give up until the nations flag could be placed in the hands of her

grandsons." Now that is one tough mom!

1931: 

Our third mother's act of courage did not deal with life or death, but rather providing the education and future for her children that she felt they deserved- at all costs. The mother, Mrs. Giblin (whose first name was unfortunately not recorded), spent all her nights working in the bitter cold digging and washing gold in order to make enough of a living to send her two sons to college and medical school in hopes to give them their dream of becoming doctors.

1933:

Our last historic hero, Elizabeth Smith (yay finally a first name was used!), was featured in a newspaper in 1933 after courageously jumping into an icy river when her daughter fell in. The eight foot fall into raging rapids did not phase this inspiring mom when it came down to her daughter's safety. 

SuperMom Monday: The Heroism of Antoinette Tuff

The other day I was listening to the radio and heard a portion of a 911 call from an incident a few days prior. My jaw dropped as I listened to the chilling conversation that took place between Georgia elementary school clerk, Antoinette Tuff, and Michael Brandon Hill, a 20-year-old boy with a history of mental illness. Earlier that day, the unstable and suicidal boy entered the school armed with an AK-47, fired a shot at the ground and proceeded to barge into the school office. It was then that he came across Tuff. In this moment, many of us wonder how we may have reacted if we ever found ourselves in this position, hide under the desk? Say something to set him off? Beg for our life? But Tuff did none of these.

Instead, in an effort to connect with the boy and calm him down, she engaged him in a lengthy conversation- sharing with him her own personal struggles. For 22 agonizing minutes, she opened up to him- describing her challenges and moments of despair, including a difficult divorce, the hardships of raising a disabled child, even her own contemplation of suicide. She reminded him that it does get better, that today doesn't have to be the end, and that he is loved. 

In an incredible display of courage and bravery, Tuff was able to eventually talk Hill into surrendering to the police. Although a few shots were fired, each child and staff member was able to evacuate from the school without any fatalities or injuries. 

Tuff's actions are truly inspiring and the definition of heroism. In order to honor her bravery, President Obama called her to personally thank her and shared with CNN his plans to invite her to the White House, telling them that she "probably saved a lot of lives, including the life of the potential perpetrator". 

To learn more about Modern Moms and The Mom Code, please visit ONCEKids Publishing website, Facebook and Twitter

News of Tuff's action have spread across the country like wildfire, but her acts of heroism have extended past those terrifying minutes with Hill. Since the incident, Tuff has started an online fundraising campaign, using the money to provide children with more travel opportunities. Within just a few days, 2,114 people had contributed $103, 806- leaving heart-warming messages thanking Tuff for her courage. 

To visit Tuff's fundraising website go to www.gofundme.com and stayed tuned for next SuperMom Monday to hear about our next heroic mom!

Click below to listen to the heart wrenching 911 call from Antoinette Tuff:

ONCEkids Celebrates Heroic Moms (Part Three of Three)

As mentioned previously, we are extending our heroic mothers series from Mother's Day through the end of May, because one day is simply not enough to even begin to explain all that our mothers do for us. 

There are dozens of stories out there, all equally touching and inspiring, of mothers who sacrificed everything, sometimes even their lives, for the sake of their children. In dedication of the heroic mothers everywhere, we have selected just a small handful of these countless women and decided to tell their stories.

To learn more about Modern Moms and The Mom Code, please visit ONCEKids Publishing website, Facebook and Twitter

Our list continues with Sharrie Shelton Duncan. While on vacation in Positano, Italy, Duncan and her 12-year-old son, Shane, were standing on a pier admiring the waves when a freak wave washed up, knocking them off their feet. Witnesses recall how Duncan was able to lift her son and push him up to rescuers before being swept away in the current that eventually took her life. She will forever  be remembered as a hero who put her son's life and safety before her own.

Our last mom, Erika Zeeman, jumped into action when she and her husband, along with their young daughter, stopped at a gas station near their home in Hercules, South Africa. As they pulled up to the gas station, they were unaware of the robbery that was in progress, until five men, armed with 9 mm handguns and an AK47, stormed out of the store.

Zeeman's husband, Piet Zeeman- who is also a police officer, immediately pursued the fleeing robbers. As he was chasing them, one of them turned around and began to fire into the Zeeman's family car, aiming directly at their toddler, Demi, who was sitting in the backseat. Seeing this, Erika launched across the seat, shielding her daughter with her own body. Erika was shot five times in the back while protecting Demi, but after being rushed into surgery and having the bullets removed, she miraculously survived and it is thanks to her heroic act that Demi was kept alive and unharmed. 


Has your family received a Nook, Kindle or iPad this year?  Find Fujimini Adventure Series award-winning books here.  Great family-friendly gifts.

Remember to tell your mom everyday how much she means to you because, as these stories prove, they truly will do anything, even risk or give up their own life, to keep you out of harms way. 

Here at ONCEkids, every mother is a hero. Comment below and tell us how your mother is yours!

ONCEkids Honors Heroic Mothers for Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from ONCEkids! Mother's day is dedicated to all the women out there who have put in so much time and energy to fulfill the job of motherhood, without a doubt the hardest- and most rewarding- job in the world. Mother's day is the perfect day to just set aside some extra time to tell our moms how much they mean to us and how much they do for us, no matter how old we get.

Every mother is a hero and to remind us each of that on this special day, here are the stories of five inspiring women who made the ultimate sacrifices for their children. 

Get your tissues ready, because the first woman on our list of heroic mothers is part of a heart-wrenching story that is so moving, you may find yourself reduced to tears. Anyone who is a mother knows that they would trade their life for their child's, but the first woman on our list actually did when she knowingly gave up her own life to save the life of her daughter. 

Stacie Crimm had always longed to be a mother but was told she would never be able to have a child. So when, at age 41, she became pregnant she was overjoyed. Not long after this joyful news, she received the life-changing diagnosis of neck cancer. 

After hearing of this tragedy, she made the decision to refuse chemotherapy, despite the aggressive tumor growing in her brain, in order to save her unborn child. She was barely hanging on when doctors did an emergency c-section to save the 2-pound, 1 ounce baby girl, which Crimm named Dottie Mae. 

Although the end of her life was near, doctors and nurses told a desperate Crimm it would be impossible for her to see her child, who was in intensive care. It was thanks to two kind-hearted nurses that Crimm's dying wish was finally able to be fulfilled. Tiny Dottie was brought into her room and laid on Crimm's chest. The mother and daughter shared one beautiful moment that Crimm's brother, Randy, says he will never forget. She held her daughter just once before passing away. After Crimm's death, Randy kept his promise to his sister and took home the healthy 5-pound Dottie, whose father is not known, to live with his wife and four children. 

Has your family received a Nook, Kindle or iPad this year?  Find Fujimini Adventure Series award-winning books here.  Great family-friendly gifts.

Our next heroic mother sacrificed her own eyesight to save the eyesight of two of her daughters. Monique Zimmerman-Stein was diagnosed with the rare disorder, Stickler's Syndrome, that attacks your eyesight.

She was then given the opportunity to preserve the last of her vision through a treatment plan that included a series of costly injections. However, two of her daughters had inherited the genetic disorder, making it also possible for them to lose their vision.

Since she would not be able to afford their treatments as well as hers, she was faced with a heartbreaking decision. It was then she decided to forego her own treatment, which would result in her becoming blind, in order to be able to scrape together enough money to pay for her two daughters' treatments and preserve their eyesight. 

The touching stories continue in ONCEkids Heroic Mothers Part 2!

And we welcome you to tell us why your mother is your hero.