When a Houston-based band, The Suffers, wanted to show their moms some love for Mother's Day, they decided to sing to them.
In an adorable, tear-jerking music video, The Suffers brought "Mammas" to life by celebrating their own mothers — and featuring queer parenting too.
All images from "Mammas" by The Suffers, used with permission.
The heartwarming video highlights moms and their love for their kids. It focuses on the eight band members' own experiences with their moms, but kicks off with a queer couple who are featured throughout the video. All the band members fell in love with this approach.
"The family unit as we know it is evolving," says lead singer Kam Franklin. "There is no one way to be a mother. So we have this representation because it exists and lesbians can be mothers just in the same way straight moms and single parents can."
As LGBTQ parenting continues to become normalized, The Suffers' bold celebration of queer parenting is more important than ever. Roughly 6 million American children have LGBTQ parents, a number that will likely rise in coming years.
"I hope that we're evolving as a society to where people are either just going to get over it or realize that they're going to be that person, and the world is going to keep turning."
Set to some incredibly powerful vocals and instrumentals, the music video features adorable clips of each band member telling their mom just how awesome they are.
The idea for the music video came to lead singer Franklin after a few holiday drinks with family.
"I just became really aware of how much I appreciated [my mother] and everything that we've gone through as a family," Franklin says. "It took me some time and some growing to learn that she's not this perfect person, but at the same time she is because she's my mother. She's my hero."
"Do you know?
Oh, do you know?
Do you know how loved you are?"
According to Franklin, the band attempts to recognize that moms are not these perfect, untouchable humans, and coming to terms with this reality makes the love between a parent and child all the more powerful. To further that message of authentic human experiences, each mother reads a letter from their child on camera. Some of the letters ask for forgiveness and wisdom; others offer forgiveness for past mistakes and arguments.
The music video gave the band members a rare opportunity to recognize their moms as the humans they are — both flawed and wonderful at the same time.
"There's this saying that 'parents just don't understand,'" Franklin says, "I feel like that's a lie. I feel like it's us, the kids, that don't understand because we haven't lived this life. We haven't been through this yet. I know everybody's parents aren't great, but for the most part, what you should see [in your mother] is someone that only wanted the best for you and only wanted to protect you in this crazy world."
Franklin's point rings true for many. While everyone has unique experiences with their mother, the impact of motherhood is simply invaluable.
Many mothers work full-time, are often still responsible for many domestic responsibilities, and have an array of other different tasks and responsibilities to maintain. Yet, through it all, they find a way to offer a maternal love that comes in all ethnicities, sexualities, and identities.
While not everyone might have a great relationship with their mom, it’s important to recognize moms who have given their lives to being badass, awesome, empowering parents. Their sacrifices and love are invaluable.
Do you know how loved you are?
Call your mom, and I bet you'll find out.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."