Mother's Day is drawing near, but any time of year is a good time to remember that moms don't get the credit they deserve.

Studies tell us that moms still do most of the work in their relationships, but don't get enough thanks - or sleep - for all they do.

But of course, if you're a mom, you already knew that.

So let's take some time to celebrate moms, their unique relationships with their kids, and everything they do to keep the world from falling apart.

1. Kate Middleton honors the late Princess Diana

It often falls to the mother to be a bridge between different generations of her family.

Since joining the royal family in 2011, Kate Middleton has stood out for her charity work, but also for her impressive skills as a new mom.

With three difficult pregnancies handled, Middleton showed off her third child, Prince Louis, in a dress that paid tribute to Prince William's late mother.

It was a sweet and subtle gesture that surely meant a lot to her husband and brother-in-law, and it proves that Middleton is a thoughtful and caring mom.

2. A mother's smile

Here's a bittersweet story that involves two moms: one who followed her gut, and another who left a heartfelt gift for her children.

Joyce Rhinehart felt a urge to snap a photo of these total strangers enjoying ice cream, and sent the man in the picture the photo.

Two weeks later, he wrote back to her:

Dear madam, you took our picture in front of Rita's on June 8th. My wife has passed away yesterday and this is the last picture we have together as a family. Please accept my deepest gratitude for your kindness, it means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The detail that really stands out is the mother's smile: it's like she knew what the photo would mean for her husband and children.

3. Kristen Bell gets real about motherhood

The Frozen actress has never been afraid to share (or overshare) about life with her daughters Lincoln and Delta Bell.

Whether she's revealing that she breastfed her husband out of desperation or how she caught anal worms from her kids, Bell's parenting stories are a reminder that even celebrity moms have it rough.

4. Moms don't retire

When Ada Keating from Liverpool, England learned her son Tom needed round-the-clock care, she moved in with him right away.

But what makes this story special is Ada and Tom's ages: the doting mother was 98 when she moved back in with her 80-year-old son.

Tom, who has never married and always lived with his mother, was very happy with the arrangement.

As Ada says, "You never stop being a mum."

5. Supermom

No matter how crazy your birth story was, it doesn't hold a candle to Dr. Amanda Hess's.

The obstetrician was waiting to deliver her baby when she heard a woman was having complications with her labor in the next room.

Hess sprang into action, delivering the newborn just hours before giving birth to her second child. Go Dr. Mom!

6. A life lesson from Mom

Cierra Forney went viral for her clever parenting skills earlier this year, when she taught her son a lesson in humility.

Forney said her 13-year-old was "entitled," and thought he was "too good" to shop at discount stores like Goodwill.

The crafty mom gave her boy $20 of his own money and made him buy a week's worth of clothes.

"In 15 years," she says, "he will look back and laugh at the day his Mom made him shop at Goodwill."

7. "I will never believe co-parenting can't work"

A simple photo from a children's soccer game went viral last year because of its important message.

Emilee Player shared the photo of her daughter to prove that divorced couples can happily raise their children together.

"Because of us, I will never believe co-parenting can't work," she wrote. "I know through experience it can work!"

8. Ever delivery is special, no delivery is perfect

Yes, some deliveries are a little rougher than others, but they make for great stories when your children are older.

Take Angel Taylor: the mother of three's most recent birth was a four day ordeal, because her baby boy refused to come out.

After an emergency c-section, the boy finally made a dramatic entrance, but was the incredible photo worth all that trouble?

Nazyia Thomas also attracted a lot of attention, for finishing a term paper in her delivery room.

After a very scary delivery, the new mom got an A on the assignment and finished the semester with a 3.5 GPA.

9. "What I really struggle with are people's unwanted opinions"

Sadly, social media can bring out the worst in some people, and the internet is full of "mom shamers."

But Krechelle Carter, who was picked on for having six kids under the age of six, knew just how to shut them down.

"What I really struggle with are people's unwanted opinions," she wrote.

"It's not okay to make someone feel like the amount of children they have is wrong or right. It's actually no ones ***** business."

10. Seventh time's the charm

Cher and Stephen Lair, parents to six young boys, were over the moon when they learned their seventh child would finally be a girl.

In fact, Cher's hysterical gender reveal reaction went viral, and caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres.

The talk show host invited the couple on her show to recreate the hilarious moment, but this time the surprise was even better - tickets to Ellen's Mother's Day show.

11. Don't mess with this mom

AliceAnn Meyer's son, Jameson, was born with a rare genetic condition called Pfeiffer syndrome.

While his skull did not develop like most people's, Jameson is otherwise a bright and happy young boy.

So when strangers on the internet used pictures of Jameson to make hurtful and insulting jokes, Meyer put them in their place.

"To everyone that "˜LOL'd', shared, and posted that meme, let me start by introducing you to the child you find so funny," Meyer wrote on her blog.

"His name is Jameson. He is very real, and he was born with Pfeiffer syndrome."

Meyer called the situation a "teachable moment," and hopes Jameson's case can raise awareness and promote kindness.

"I can't stop people from doing horrible things," she said, "but if his face is out there, I may as well make it for good rather than bad."

12. Surprising surrogates

In our modern age, plenty of parents are turning to surrogate mothers for help starting their families.

But some mothers have surprising connections to their surrogates:

Rachel Wilcox gave birth to her own niece after her sister-in-law Amanda Peterson learned she could not.

In an even stranger case, Megan Barker gave birth to both of her own grandchildren, because her daughter Maddie Coleman could not.

It's not exactly conventional, but it just goes to show the strong bond between these mothers.

13. Moms supporting moms

Divorce is not taboo in our society anymore, and if you ask me that's a good thing.

But plenty of people still look down on divorced parents and their children. It can be even more difficult when there's strife between a person's old and new partners.

That's why Britney Johnson set the record straight with a heartwarming post about her daughter Payton's stepmother.

"Kayla has been a gift of so much more than I could have hoped for," she wrote.

"You're a true role model and an amazing bonus mom and we are so proud of you!"

14. Barabra Bush's lasting love

After former First Lady Barbara Bush's recent death, her famous husband and children received a lot of attention.

But the news about where she would be laid to rest shone a light on Bush's forgotten child - her daughter Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush.

Pauline was only three when she died from leukemia in 1952, a time when infants had almost no chance to survive the disease.

Her parents tried everything they could to save their daughter's life, but just months after the diagnosis Bush "saw her spirit go" as she died in her arms.

The grieving parents donated Pauline's body to science, and were active supporters of the Leukemia Society of America.

"It made [George], and me feel that something good is coming out of this precious little life," she said years later.

"And today, almost nobody dies of leukemia."

15. Good call, mom

Lorraine Donnelly's daughter Kayleigh is lucky to be alive after a dangerously close brush with ovarian cancer.

The 13-year-old had complained about stomach pain and bloating for weeks, but doctors insisted it was just constipation.

Following her gut, Lorraine insisted on taking her daughter to a specialist, who immediately spotted a killer 12 pound tumor.

"The doctors told me that if I hadn't taken her to [the emergency room] when I did, she wouldn't be here today," Lorraine said.

16. "I have a role model that I can call mom"

Actress Kate Hudson isn't afraid to credit her own famous mom, Goldie Hawn, for her success in life.

"How much time do we have?" she said when an interviewer asked what she learned from Hawn.

"It's challenging because it is that plentiful."

"I feel lucky, blessed that I have a role model that I can call mom," she continued.

"I think that compassion, to be compassionate. I have a lot of fight in me by nature. I think one of the things that my mom has taught me is to find compassion in everything I do. Kindness and that family is everything."

And what does Goldie say she learned from her daughter?

"Absolutely nothing," she jokes. But in truth, "Kate has taught me a lot. She is in many ways tougher than I was with the kids."

17. Second chances

Erika Hurt's life was ruined after this dramatic photo went viral.

Caught overdosing with her son in the her back seat, the young, single mother became the face of America's heroin epidemic.

Despite being locked up, and losing custody of her son, Hurt insists hitting rock bottom was "a good thing."

After leaving the jail and rehab, Hurt is sober, working, and trying to rebuild her relationship with her son.

Even the marshal who arrested Hurt, Matt Tallent, has praised her recovery.

"For this girl to have her life ripped up and then come back and be sober after everything that's happened to her, that's a story of success," he said.

18. Michelle Williams on parenting through grief

The Manchester by the Sea actress met and fell in love with Heath Ledger on the set of Brokeback Mountain.

The couple shared a whirlwind romance, and welcomed a daughter named Matilda into the world.

But just two years later, Ledger tragically died.

In recent years, Williams has been very frank about the experience of raising her daughter while dealing with her own grief.

"I watched [Matilda] warm in the sun, in her swimsuit, get on her bicycle and smile and wave as she rode off to go meet her friend," she said.

"I went back into the house and sobbed because of this incredibly simple moment "” common everyday happiness."

Despite the tears, Williams and her daughter are both happy and healthy today.

"Life has brought us to a place that's not just surviving, but thriving," she said.

19. The Smith Bunch

Thad and Loryn smith have a very big family. The couple raised 15 children of their own but fostered more than 100 others.

So when Loryn's son, Jacob, asked them to adopt four children, the caring parents didn't hesitate.

Jacob and his wife Peggy had been looking to adopt when they spotted an ad for eight children from the same family.

To avoid splitting them up, Jacob and Peggy took in the four younger kids, while Thad and Loryn adopted the four older ones.

It's a sweet story, and a heartfelt reminder that you can become a mother to four new kids at any age!

20. Pink puts mom shamers in their place

Another celebrity who has no time to spare for online critics is pop singer Pink.

After firing back at parents who criticized the way she raises her daughter, Willow, Pink shared this heartwarming interaction:

"A really sweet Mama came up 2me tonight at the grocery store and told me some nice words about how she gets strength from my parenting cause I'm not afraid to --- up in public," she wrote.

"We cried together. It's so hard. Y'all. I wish us mamas could give ourselves and each other a break."

Pink also has plenty of good advice for Willow, who she says she is raising gender neutral.

"It's very boring to be normal," she told her.

"When she finds the thing that she loves, no matter what it is I'll support her in it."

21. The rainbow baby

Nowadays, society is more sensitive about mothers who have trouble conceiving children.

And plenty of mothers who have struggled to have a child like to make their long journey known when their dream finally comes true.

Over 13 years, Lindsay Vargas and her husband Brian endured heartache after heartache as she suffered 15 miscarriages.

After even their attempts with a surrogate failed, a birth mother planning to put her child up for adoption offered her to Lindsay.

"I cried like an absolute baby. Absolutely sobbing," she said about the good news.

Celine Dion deserves some recognition too, she's raised three sons on her own since her husband died.

And the First Daughter Ivanka Trump recently opened up about her battle with postpartum depression.