Running back Kyle Monangai pulled the ultimate youngest child move for Mother's Day this year.
Now back in Chicago for the Bears' offseason program, Monangai invited his mother, Gwen, to come spend the weekend with him and attend the annual Bears Care Gala at Soldier Field Saturday evening as his plus-one.
"Truthfully, it's Mother's Day weekend, so I was like, 'I'm gonna just be a better sibling and take her for myself and bring her to a gala,'" Kyle joked.
Kyle felt sharing the experience of attending his first Bears Care Gala, which is hosted by the club's charitable arm to raise funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research as well as treatment programs in Chicago, with his mother would make the moment extra special.
"On a serious note, I just wanted to be able to spend the whole weekend with my mom," Kyle said. "It was really an opportunity to be like, 'I have this gala and Mother's Day is the next day, so it could be cool to make it a whole weekend to spend with my mom.' She was excited to come and be a part of it."
Gwen explained her evening at Soldier Field could only be described as "surreal." It began back at Kyle's place when Gwen FaceTimed her daughter Kathy, who had picked out her mom's outfit from head-to-toe, to show her the finished product.
About an hour later, she and Kyle arrived on the orange carpet. Walking arm-and-arm onto the same field where Kyle made a name for himself as a rookie last season — as Gwen and his father, William, either watched from the Soldier Field stands or their home in New Jersey — brought out a lot of emotions for her.
"I'm so proud of him," Gwen shared. "I tell him he inspires me and he says, 'I draw my strength from you.'
"He's so caring. He's so mature for his 23 years of life and I wonder sometimes why God saw fit to send him here through me. He's such a good human. That's all I can say. I am just honored to be his mother."
As Gwen took in the evening, she remained in awe of the life her son has created for himself in Chicago. She thought of her younger self, the one who immigrated to the United States from Cameroon in central Africa, before she was a mother to her three children: Kevin, Kathy and Kyle.
"I think about the young person I was who came to America," Gwen said, "and to be among the people that he's allowed me to be among, to make friends and meet delightful young people, I always want to pinch myself."
That version of Gwen could have never imagined that she'd be at these types of events now, especially courtesy of her son's NFL career. But what stood out to her was she shares a common thread with everyone in attendance at the gala: They love the Bears and all the organization does to strengthen the Chicagoland community. That includes an adoration of Kyle and an investment in his young NFL career.
Throughout his rookie season, Kyle developed into a fan favorite in Chicago.
Whether it was the fact that people resonated with him because he was a seventh-round draft pick who proved that his talent exceeded his scouting report, or appreciated his work ethic and dedication in helping the Bears to their best season since 2018, or simply loved the viral "Kyle Monangai with a Bears first down" Lion King parody that played over the Soldier Field speakers, Kyle has become a beloved part of the franchise in less than a year.
Gwen cannot put into words how much the love and support her son receives from Bears fans means to her. She no longer worries about Kyle being halfway across the country from the family. She knows he's taken care of here, but to see it and hear it firsthand Saturday elicited another emotional response.
"When we arrived, there was this line of people who wanted to say hello to him. I had to tell him, 'Kyle, it's you they want to talk to.'
"This life he has is a blessing. And he shares it with us so generously. He insists that we be part of it."
One of Gwen's favorite parts of the evening was finally meeting a few core pieces to that support system, people who not only wanted Kyle to be a part of the organization, but have continued to challenge and lift him up during his journey.
"I met some great people tonight," Gwen shared. "Kevin Warren, he said to Kyle, 'I love you, man.' I said, 'Do you know what that does to a mother's heart?' Ryan Poles. Ben Johnson. This was my first time meeting all of them. I saw T-Med (Tony Medlin) again. It was surreal.
"I remember this picture from after one of the games this year. Everyone was hugging Kyle because he had a great game, and Poles had walked into the locker room and he was waiting for somebody to finish congratulating Kyle so he could hug him too. And somebody in the comments said, 'Every player should have a GM that looks at them the way Poles is looking at Kyle.'"
While the gala provided Kyle and Gwen a rare opportunity to spend a full evening together and create a new Mother's Day memory, it's far from the first time Soldier Field has been the setting of a memorable night for the Monangais.
When thinking of all the incredible memories from Kyle's rookie year, one with his family stands out above most. It was the night of Jan. 10, after the Bears beat the Packers in thrilling fashion on wild card weekend at Soldier Field and Kyle celebrated the monumental win with a family dinner.
"It was just a cool moment to have my family with me in Chicago after such a big game," Kyle said. "A big game for the city, a big game for us, and them being there at the game and experiencing that moment too. And then being able to share that moment with them directly after."
Kyle's rookie season was one to remember — both because of his individual success, emerging as the team's second-string running back behind veteran D'Andre Swift, and the Bears' success, including an NFC North title and two home playoff games.
But just a year ago, Kyle had yet to play an NFL snap. He was deep in learning the playbook, assimilating to Halas Hall and competing at rookie minicamp about a week after the day he was drafted, which he had spent at his parents' home in New Jersey surrounded by loved ones.
A lot has changed for Kyle between May 2025 and May 2026. To Gwen's benefit, one of those changes was Kyle having slightly more free time on Mother's Day weekend.
To Kyle's benefit, one thing that has not only stayed consistent, but grown stronger over the last year, is his family's support and involvement in his new life.
His mother is at the core of that support.
"They've been there the whole way, so it's obviously a blessing to have them by my side every time," Kyle said. "This time last year was a big moment for all of us and it was really cool. I think the amazement and awe of that moment has probably died down a little bit. Now it's more so they understand how much I work on a daily basis to be my best. So, they're just supporting any way they can. They understand it now. They've fully dove into what it means to be a fan of the Bears and be a fan of me and be my support system."
