Mother’s Day is important and special and a fantastic opportunity to show the wonderful mum in your life just how much you love and appreciate her.
So what exactly do mums want on Mother’s Day? Presents? Homemade Cards? Breakfast in bed?
I have experienced many Mother’s Days over the decade I have been a mum, some good, some not so good. I have also surveyed many of my best friends and so I feel like I can say, with great authority, that all mums really want on Mothers’ Day is a day off!
What we would really love is for someone else to organise the day for us. To take over the day to day jobs like bathing children, doing dishes and organising lunch. We want someone else to really experience how much we do and to appreciate us for it. To acknowledge our work and to say ‘thank you’. To be kind to us, to be considerate of our wishes… for someone else to eat the burnt chop for once.
And if you’d like to throw in a present or two, we will be thrilled. It doesn’t have to be expensive, or extravagant but it has to have some meaning and be special to us. I would advise against any kind of kitchen equipment or domestic tools like irons as these things have a habit of leaping unexpectedly from our arms and hitting the giver on the head.
The most important thing to remember on Mother’s Day is our feelings. We just really want to know you have remembered us, you care about us and that you really believe we deserve to be treated like a queen for the day.
I have included some examples just in case I’m still not getting my message across. These may, or may not be based on personal experience…
- If you ask if it’s okay to go to the Football instead of spending the day with us, we will say yes, of course it’s okay but what we mean is no, it’s not okay and we will probably have a little cry as you pull out of the drive way.
- If we request some fruit and a lovely cup of tea for breakfast because we are on a very strict gluten free diet, we really don’t want pancakes – even though that is what you want us to want.
- Mother’s Day means just that – it goes for the entire day. It does not end at 8.30am with a toddler crying and a sink full of dishes.
- Sleep ins for mums usually mean any time after the clock is in the ‘sevens’ and preferably not before.
- It is always the thought that counts so of course we will jump in and help out with any of the days activities – just knowing you made a big effort will flood our hearts with love and joy.
So be kind to your mum and in fact all of the mums in your life on Mother’s day. We don’t get paid for this gig, we do it for love and Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to make big deposits of gratitude and fill our hearts with joy to keep us doing what we do for another year.
Kristin Cosgrove is a whole food baker, blogger, educator and mum of three. She is a real food devotee and owns a small business, Mamacino Homemade, making whole food treats and snacks for those without the time (or inclination) to do so themselves. To see all of Kristin’s articles and recipes, click here.
