Fortunately, a mother’s mettle is rarely put to the test by runaway cars. A more frequent challenge for moms is watching their kids rolling toward financial trouble. Mothers too often become the human “speed bumps” in such cases, putting their own resources between their children and bad credit or joblessness.

Certainly one of the best ways to honor moms this Mothers’ Day is to recognize their willingness to make such financial sacrifices, but at the same time, doing what is necessary to prevent them. It means asking moms to do both more and less for their kids: more financial education and empowerment; less sacrifice of their own financial well-being.