Do I Have to Act Like a Mom on Mother’s Day?

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mother's day ideas providence moms blog

Last year, the Today Show did a study asking 6,000 women what they wanted for Mother’s Day.  The number one answer was two hours of extra sleep.  It also found that 50% of women wanted a day of peace and quiet versus a day spent with their children.  I find this surprising because I thought the number would be much higher.  Every year, my Mother’s Day struggle is that as much as I love spending time with my kids, I just want a day (or at least a few hours) where I do not need to parent them.

As a working mom, weekends are focused on family time.  However, Mother’s Day is different.  On that particular Sunday, I want nothing to do with any of the usual things I do as a mom.  I have no interest in cooking a meal.  I do not want to get up early to watch TV with them.  I will not stand around a playground.  If this is the one day of the year that celebrates motherhood, then it is my prerogative to spend it reading a book, going shopping, or going to a movie that does not have cartoon characters. Luckily, my husband is a trooper and does his best to occupy the kids for at least a portion of the day.

Even with my “no mommy activity” stance on Mother’s Day, there are a few things that I love about the day and a few pieces of advice I would give as I head into my 13th one.

  1. Homemade cards are the best gift ever.  The one thing I insist on every year is a homemade card.  I have saved every one.  I even got a hand-drawn banner one year!  I will remember and cherish these cards much longer than an I-Tunes gift card or new earrings.
  2. Dante’s Inferno talks about the 9 circles of Hell.  If there were a tenth, it would be Mother’s Day brunch.  While I always appreciate a meal out, restaurants are slammed and we have had to wait over an hour on a few occasions.  Go out to lunch or dinner the day before or get really good takeout instead.  
  3. I always remind my kids that the best gift is the gift of good behavior.  Not listening to bickering for at least a few hours is pure bliss.
  4. Celebrate your kids too.  On Mother’s Day, I like to get a little something for each of my kids.  They are the reason I get to partake in Mother’s Day; why not spread the joy around?  I have lobbied that moms should be celebrated on their kids’ birthdays. (Funny that my kids are not that into that idea).  

This year on Mother’s Day I look forward to a little rest, lots of hugs and kisses, a few presents and cards, and a chance to get some extra sleeping and reading time.  If I can make it through the day without running an errand or cooking a meal, than Happy Mother’s Day to me!

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Sara
Sara is a native Long Islander who has managed to shed much of the accent, but cannot get rid of her love of a good New York bagel, the Mets, and a decent pastrami sandwich. She moved to Providence in 2001, with stops along the way living in upstate New York, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh. Sara has two fantastic, funny kids – a 14-year-old daughter and an 10-year-old son – who attend Providence Public Schools. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Psychology and has her Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. These degrees have served her well in her career working as a fundraiser (currently as the Chief Development Officer at the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI) and in her home life negotiating détente between her kids. In her copious amounts of spare time, Sara enjoys going to a museum or the theater, reading, listening to 80s music, cooking and piling everyone in the car for a day trip. She also admits to a love of funny and occasionally sophomoric movies and has been known to recite entire scenes from Monty Python or Mel Brooks. She tries to find the humor in all things which is necessary when juggling a household with two kids and a full time job. Her attitude can be summed up by a print she saw at Frog and Toad: When life hands you lemons, try to figure out something to do with those lemons.