No matter who you are, being a parent is a tough job. There’s no one definitive playbook for how to best love and guide your kids. 

And mothers are frequently the ones to care and nurture us, to keep us in line when it matters and to expose us to different people and places. 

The former U.S. Surgeon General said last year that parental stress is a significant public health issue. But we know that, in addition to the challenges, there are a lot of joys that come with motherhood. 

There are opportunities for creating stronger connections, for providing and maybe sometimes receiving care and for expanding love. 

And as Mother’s Day is coming up, we’re looking at what a day in the life of a mom is like. Today on The Metro, two mothers from different places in our region share their perspective on motherhood and what it means to them.

Ambra Redrick runs the nonprofit Teen Hype in Detroit. She has two biological daughters and her husband has two children that she helps raise as well. Lori Goldman is a mom of four.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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This week, we’ve got some family-forward events to celebrate Mother’s Day, including wildflower walks, bike rides and crafting sessions.

Plus, award-winning productions, art fairs and your last chance to see a Detroit-inspired exhibit. Read on to learn more.

Mother’s Day activities

Huron-Clinton Metroparks are celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend with themed walks at three of their parks:

• Kensington: A guided stroll through the Kensington Nature Area is scheduled for Saturday, May 10 from 10–11 a.m. and 1–2 p.m. Registration is $5 for adults, $3 for kids and free for children under 2. RSVP is required.
• Lake Erie: A guided stroll through Lake Erie Metropark is scheduled for Sunday, May 11 from 2–4 p.m. An interpreter will point out signs of motherhood in insects, birds, mammals and more. This walk is suitable for ages 8 and up and includes frequent stops. Registration is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. RSVP is required.
• Stony Creek: When visitors hike through Stony Creek’s wildflowers on Sunday, May 11 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., they can receive a certificate and a flower to take home and plant from the nature center. Admission is free and pre-registration is not required.

On Saturday, May 10, the Detroit Public Library is also celebrating Mother’s Day with gift-making workshops at three of their branches:

• Wilder Branch: Visitors can make a unique gift using craft materials like foam, stickers and the library’s Cricut machine from noon to 1 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.
• Knapp Branch: Visitors can make their own wind chimes from 2–3 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.
• Jefferson Branch: Visitors can make their own bracelet from 1–2 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.

On Saturday, May 10, Terra Joy Castro and Socially Chrissy are kicking off a new monthly series, Family Bike Rides on the Detroit Riverfront. This month’s ride starts at Cullen Plaza at 10 a.m. and will end with coffee and snacks at the Riverwalk café. Bikers of all ages and abilities are welcome, and the goal is to explore the Riverfront together on two wheels and to get moving as a family. Participants are asked to bring their own bikes, helmets and water, but Wheelhouse Detroit will be on-site for bike rentals. Admission is free and registration is required. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Creative collections

Art Birmingham, originally known as the Birmingham Fine Art Festival, returns for its 44th year this weekend. On Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11, the street surrounding Shain Park in downtown Birmingham will showcase 150 juried artists from across the country, featuring paintings, sculptures, photographs and more. There will be live music, food and drinks available for purchase, and a kid’s art activities tent. For more information, visit theguild.org.

The 57th Annual Political and Pop Culture Show will take place this week at the Skyline Hotel in Romulus. Collectors from across the country will gather to share and sell memorabilia from political campaigns from throughout American history. On Friday, May 9, there will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by an auction at 7 p.m. On Saturday, May 10, over 50 dealer tables will be on display between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the hotel. Admission is $5. For more information, visit apic.us.

New productions

Detroit Public Theatre is closing its 10th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Soft Target,” a play about childhood, guns and the wounds we can’t see. The production centers 9-year-old Amanda and her toys — stuffed penguin Jonah, American Girl Doll Molly, trusted Diary and weighted emotional support bunny Ugly — as their once-peaceful world is thrown into darkness and chaos. Performances take place Wednesdays through Sundays now through June 7. General admission is $50, and $25 tickets are available on Thursdays. For more information, visit detroitpublictheatre.org.

Detroit Opera’s latest production is “The Central Park Five,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning true story adaptation of systemic discrimination. The opera follows the wrongful convictions of five African American and Latino teenagers in the assault of a white female jogger in Central Park. Despite racial injustice, resilience and redemption emerge as the five men fight for freedom. Performances take place Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $30–$145. For more information, visit detroitopera.org.

Exhibition ending

This weekend is your last chance to see Tiff Massey’s 7 Mile + Livernois at the DIA. The exhibit, inspired by the neighborhood where Massey grew up, features fashion accessories scaled up to the size of architecture, creating sculptures that celebrate’s Detroit’s evolving neighborhoods and the history of West African and Black American culture and style. The last day to see the exhibit is Sunday, May 11. Admission is free for residents of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. For more information, visit dia.org.

This week, we’ve got local markets for every occasion, from Mother’s Day to Cinco de Mayo. Plus, new art exhibits, live DJ sets from your favorite WDET hosts and an immersive Star Wars cantina experience. Read on to learn more.

Shop around

On Saturday, May 3, Swanky Lady Couture is partnering with Wayne County Community College to present an early Mother’s Day Market. There will be a flower bouquet bar, a permanent jewelry station, professional family portraits and more to inspire Mother’s Day gift ideas. Food trucks will be available on-site. Admission is free and the event goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Also on Saturday, May 3, Batch Brewing is hosting a “Derby de Mayo” celebration featuring a Mexican market, lucha libre wrestling, and themed food and cocktail specials for both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. The market will highlight local vendors selling everything from jewelry to juices from noon to 6 p.m., then wrestling is scheduled for 7–9 p.m. Food trucks from Taqueria El Rey and La Sultana will be on-site starting at noon and guests can watch the derby in the taproom. For more information, visit Batch Brewing Company on Facebook.

The 7th Annual Urban Arts & Eatery Expo returns to Eastern Market on Sunday, May 4 from 2–6 p.m. Visitors can enjoy beverages and street food from around the world while exploring over 60 local vendors offering unique and handmade goods. Early bird tickets are $3 online. For more information, visit urbanartsexpo.com.

See a show

On Saturday, May 3, Spot Lite Detroit is throwing a 39th Birthday Bash & Fundraiser for the Heidelberg Project, one of the longest-running outdoor art installations in the city. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be live DJ sets from Kenjiro, Liz Warner (host of Alternate Take Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Shigeto (host of The New Music Show Saturdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Turtle Bugg and Waajeed (host of The Boulevard Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on WDET). Tickets are $23 online. For more information, visit ra.co.

From Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn is hosting the 18th Annual Arab Film Festival, featuring the best critically-acclaimed and award-winning films of the Arab and Arab American world. Genres include drama, comedy and documentary, in both short-form and feature lengths. Each film is subtitled in English and can be watched either in-person at the museum or virtually. Tickets can be purchased separately for each screening, or passes are available for the full festival. For more information, visit aanmfilmfest25.eventive.org.

Explore an exhibit

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s newest exhibition, “Luminosity: A Detroit Arts Gathering,” celebrates 60 years of The Wright with over 60 artworks from present-day Detroit artists, long-departed masters and the museum’s archive. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography and more, “Luminosity” illuminates Detroit’s creative spirit through shared histories, personal reflections and bold artistic exploration. The exhibit is on display now through March 2026. For more information, visit thewright.org.

One of MOCAD’s newest exhibitions, “Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art,” explores the relationship between Black cultural production and the legacy of computation as a mode of creative inspiration. The exhibition builds on an archival timeline of radical visions from Black makers and thinkers and brings together an intergenerational roster of contemporary artists to unpack the correlation between body and machine, informed further by the “age of the internet.” The exhibition opens on Friday, May 2 and will be on display through August 10. For more information, visit mocadetroit.org.

Detroit Historical Museum’s newest exhibition is “Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit’s Comic Book Story.” Opening on Saturday, May 3, the exhibition highlights Detroit’s contributions to the world of comic books and the generations of local creatives and fans that brought the world of comics to a wider audience and created fandom as we know it today. For more information, visit detroithistorical.org.

The DIA is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with special programming throughout the month of May. In collaboration with AAPI community groups and professional artists, the museum will showcase a dynamic mix of traditional and contemporary dance, music, visual art and more. This year’s celebration includes elements from Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese cultures. To see their full list of events and learn more, visit dia.org.

Feel the force

Calling all Star Wars fans! For five days only, Space Dive 313 has transformed Tangent Gallery in Detroit into a fully-immersive intergalactic cantina. Guests are required to arrive in full costume in order to maintain the Detroitooine experience. Tickets are $60 and still available for Friday, May 2, Sunday, May 4 (May the fourth be with you), Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. The bar is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, visit Space Dive on Facebook.