It was Vnia Nonnenmacher who first enrolled her daughter, a teenage Gisele Bündchen, along with sisters Patricia and Gabriela, in a local modeling course in 1993 to correct their posture and build confidence. It was the same course that eventually led to Gisele being discovered by Elite Model Management at a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro. So, when Bündchen posted her Mother’s Day tribute on social media, she had to talk about the woman who started it all.

“Nothing in this world fills my life with more meaning and joy than being a mom,” Bündchen captioned her tribute on Instagram. “I’m so grateful to experience life with them, learning and growing together every day. Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, especially to my mama, who is always by my side in spirit and inspires me to be the best mom that I can be. ❤️❤️❤️”

While the words themselves were powerful, the nine-image carousel Bündchen shared told the entire story. The carousel opens in what looks like a farm or a jungle setting, where Gisele and her husband, Joaquim Valente, are featured in a close embrace under a rustic wooden structure, heads bowed, holding their infant son Valentin, who was born this February. Another shot showed the family on a hilltop in the countryside: Gisele in a white crop top and skirt, three of her children beside her – all looking out over picture-perfect green mountains under a wide blue sky.

The rest of the carousel also wove in and out of close family moments and nature landscapes. One featured Gisele on a balcony at Sunset, Valentin, and an older daughter beside her. Another photo showed all the children in a pile on a hardwood floor, mid-hug.

A close-up of handwritten Mother’s Day cards was also one of the pictures, and the last two images featured Gisele with Vnia. One showed them forehead to forehead in a gray-white wrap against a grassy backdrop, eyes closed, both smiling. Another showed three generations on a beach – Gisele, her mother, and a young daughter in a group hug on the sand. When Vnia died in January 2024 at 75, after a battle with cancer, these were the memories Gisele turned to for comfort.

“I am so grateful to be your daughter and to have learned from you,” Gisele had written on an Instagram tribute at the time. “Thank you for being the best role model of love, strength, compassion, courage, and grace. I will forever cherish the beautiful memories we shared and will live by the values you taught me.”

Gisele Bündchen’s Mother’s Day tribute followed that same thought behind it. And while she was celebrating her family, her ex-husband, legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, was coming up with a tribute of his own.

Tom Brady offers his respect

Brady wasn’t far behind on a Mother’s Day shoutout. He put up a series of Instagram stories on his handle celebrating the day. One was a photo of Gisele kissing his oldest son, Jack, on the cheek, with Jack’s mother, Bridget Moynahan (Brady’s ex-girlfriend, before Bündchen), standing beside them. Brady also shared a separate image of Gisele with Jack, and Brady’s two kids with Gisele: Benjamin and Vivian.

“Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers in this world… ❤️❤️❤️,” Brady captioned one of the photos.

Brady also shared a photo of his mother, Galynn, cradling his daughter Vivian. Capturing the heartfelt moment, Brady had captioned it, “Happy Mother’s Day to the best mom in the world. This picture perfectly sums up who you are, Mom. ❤️❤️❤️”

Brady had done something similar last year. In 2025, he posted a collage honoring his mother, Galynn, his three sisters, and ex-partners Gisele and Bridget. The pattern was the same for 2023, when he posted tributes to both Gisele and Bridget. This is also the foundation of mutual respect that Brady and Gisele have built their post-divorce co-parenting philosophy around since 2022.

The easy take is that Brady’s annual tributes are like managed optics; a divorced celebrity keeping things clear. But the photos tell a different story. Gisele kissing Jack, Bridget right beside her – that’s a decade of two families choosing, over and over, not to make the kids carry their history. That is what Brady celebrates with every single one of his tributes.