A recent article in the New York Times blog, Motherlode, sites that adults typically live an average of 18 miles away from their mothers, and most have tightly knit families.  And when we live far from families, we fill airports and highways to head home for the holidays.

Mothers and others we want to be near, especially over the holidays, are likely to be “special ones who have loved us into being,” to use Fred Rogers’s words when he accepts this Lifetime Achievement Award.

When students return in the New Year,

Fred Rogers might inspire you to ask them to think and write about those who have cared about them and wanted the best for them or to share family stories that reveal their caring.

You can search for writing resources for all grades and content at PBS LearningMedia.

To read the entire Times’ article The Typical American Lives Only 18 Miles From Mom, click here.