Put Meaning into Your Mother’s Day

Me-a Happy Mom

Q: My mother and I didn’t have the best relationship growing up, but when I had my own kids I realized how hard this job is! I want to do something special for her tomorrow, to let her know how special she is to me. Any ideas? I don’t have a lot of money to buy her the gifts I’d like to buy.

A: Motherhood definitely comes with its challenges, as you eventually found out, and let’s face facts: we all mess up some times–both parents and children. The main thing is to keep coming from a place of love. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make Mom feel appreciated. All you have to do is make her day meaningful. Let her know how much you appreciate all she has done for you. One way to do that is to make (or buy) a nice card, and inside of it, list the top ten reasons why you love her so much, and what you learned from her example throughout the years. Examples of Why I love You, Mom: “For all those great meals you cooked so that I would have a nice hot supper every night”; “For all of those birthday parties you arranged, so that I would feel special to be born.” “For all of those family trips you saved up for so that we could see new places”; “For all the times you took my side and made me feel someone always had my back in this world,” “For teaching me even the hard lessons that I didnt’ want to learn,” “For showing me how to bounce back when I felt defeated, ” etc.  You get the idea.

Believe me, it doesn’t take much to make Mom feel special on her day. You can also do something like give her a hand made “certificate” worth one house cleaning by you, date to be chosen by her. Or a certificate for “one special day out–including a walk together in the park, and an ice cream from the truck vendor”.

Ultimately, what Mom’s appreciate the most is not the fancy gifts, but a  little bit of your time, your thoughts, and your love.

Happy Mother’s Day (Buona festa delle mamme) to all you great Moms , Grandmom’s, and Moms-to-Be! And that inlcudes me, too!