What Moms Really Want for Mother's Day

What do moms really want for Mother’s Day? A break. While flowers, candy, candles, hand lotion or other tangible gifts might be nice, mom would prefer the type of gift you can't buy--appreciation. We want our children and partners to take a minute and show their gratitude for all the big and little things we do for them.

The “memories” feature on Facebook recently reminded me that last year all I asked for on Mother’s Day was to not have to cook or prepare any food for anyone. While feeding and serving my family is my daily joy, the best Mother’s Day gift is to be relieved of that duty. In most families, moms run the household, so for this Mother's Day, I strongly encourage you to invite her to sit back and relax while YOU do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, diaper changes, etc., whatever is necessary to give Mom a much needed day off. (Whatever you do, DON'T make her breakfast in bed and then expect her to clean up the mess left behind in the kitchen!)

Moms probably also want to spend some time with their children and their partner (if applicable.) As the social distance quarantine is lifted and we begin to transition back to our “normal” lives, the busy-ness has returned. So moms want their loved ones to make a conscious effort to spend time with them on the day that is dedicated to them. Take her out to dinner, give her a foot massage, or maybe write her a poem or sing her a song. The best gifts for moms are the memories that will remain in our hearts forever.

Oh, and a photo. Moms would absolutely love one nice photo, where all the members of her family are smiling and looking at the camera, and Mom looks amazing. We spend so much time behind the camera capturing candid moments of our children and family, playing peek-a-boo to try and get the baby's attention. We'd like a photo we are actually in, (and look good in!) that we can post to social media to gloat about the joys of motherhood and how much we love you.

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