Bulloch and her sister, Kathleen Fueston, 45, remember growing up in a house where the family did everything together. They cleaned together. They did homework together. They played together.

"On Saturday mornings, Mom would wake us up by playing classical music on the piano," said Fueston, who lives in Lehi with her husband and two sons. "That was our call to get up and get working on the chores."

Because of the music, the family had a good time lugging buckets of soapy water around the house washing walls and "anything else we could reach," Fueston said.

Growing up under Clifford's care was more than just fun, though.

"I always knew she loved me and that if I wanted to accomplish something and I worked hard, I could do it," Fueston said. "She instilled self-confidence in me."

All the women, Clifford, Bulloch and Fueston, agreed that teaching children autonomy is the most important lesson one can teach as a parent.

Although Clifford describes the day her last child moved out of her home to go to college as the hardest time of her career as a mother, she has never been so proud of her children as she is now that they have their own families.

"They are my children and my angels," she said, hands tightly grasping the corners of her family photo collage. "And now they are also my friends."

E-MAIL: estuart@desnews.com