I read an article this week about how commercialised Mother’s Day is, how contrived, how Hallmark-y. And another asking why we can’t have Mother’s Day 365 days a year – why does it have to be just one day. And one saying “Please, whatever you do, don’t buy me flowers”. And I totally get it – it is commercialised, and it shouldn’t be just one day of being treated well, and of course not everyone likes flowers.
But – and I hope I’m not letting the side down here – I’m on board. Bring on Mother’s Day and all its homemade pomp and ceremony.
Bring on breakfast in bed – because the kids get so excited about the (very loud) secret organisation, and because it’s lovely, even when it’s luke-warm, half-eaten toast. It’s still breakfast in a bed, without having to go downstairs, and there’s real coffee – how can it be anything but lovely.
Bring on the handmade presents, and all the effort that goes in to sticking on hearts and shaking on glitter and forgetting to sneak them out of school-bags before I see them.
Bring on lunch somewhere lovely, if that’s a thing you do. We don’t do presents (not for anniversaries or Valentine’s Day either – I don’t know if we’re sensible or just lazy) but we do go out for lunch to the same lovely local restaurant every year. I am very much on board with gorgeous food, a glass of Prosecco, and ridiculously good “focus on your ice-cream kids, this one’s mine” desserts.
And bring on the extra hugs – the kids get so excited about Mother’s Day every year, and spend all day telling me how much they love me (in between all the usual squabbles and tantrums and sulks).
And I don’t wonder why we can’t do it every day – fabulous though it would be, it wouldn’t really work to have breakfast in bed or go out for lunch 365 days a year.
Of course I do understand what people mean – why can’t mothers get a break every day? But as parents of small kids, none of us get much of a break, do we? I’m not going to sit down on Mother’s Day while my husband clears the table, any more than he would sit down while I clear up any other day of the year. We both do whatever needs to be done every day, then we both sit down.
The way I see it, Mother’s Day is a bonus day. An extra treat. An excuse to do something different. To have a lie-in, to go out for lunch – to drink the Prosecco and Instagram the dessert. Yes it’s commercialised, but so is every other celebration – it’s just that this one gets me breakfast in bed and many, many extra hugs from the kids. So count me in.
And whatever it brings you, I hope you have a good one – happy Mother’s Day.
Completely agree! Enjoy your dessert and prosecco 🙂
mirva recently posted…So Where Are You Going This Summer?
Yes, absolutely. I’m with you all the way on this one Andrea.
And this has reminded me to phone my own mother!
Happy Mothers’ Day to you.
Fionnuala recently posted…Counting Down To Easter With Kids: Grow Your Own Easter Grass
I much envy you. I had a terrible day. Special Need Boy giving me a hell of a time. Husband not bothered as “you’re not my mother”. Felt very sorry for myself. Thank god Mother’s day not everyday.
Ah that’s awful. I’m so sorry. It’s a tough day when it doesn’t go well – magnified by everyone else having a good time. Maybe there’s a way to take some time off for yourself to do something that’s just for you? I know it’s not the same as being pampered by other people, but it might help. And would it do any good to explain to your husband that for most of us, it’s the other-half who does the spoiling, because kids are mostly too young to do anything themselves?
I always bring up Mother’s Day a few weeks in advance and ask my husband to book lunch – I know it’s not quite the same as being surprised, but it means the lunch does happen 🙂
Hope you feel better tomorrow, sounds like it was a tough day x