We’re thinking about our moms here at Elum. Mother’s Day is fast approaching and we’re asking the question: What’s the best way to make Mom smile on her big day? We’ve been celebrating Mother’s Day in the US for over a hundred years. On May 12, a hundred and fifty-million of us will call home and say, “Hi, Mom!”. About a third of us will buy flowers (pink roses and carnations are our blooms of choice) and a fifth of us will take Mom to brunch or dinner, which explains why it’s Mother’s Day, not Valentines, that is the busiest day of the year for restaurants. What can we say? We love our moms! At Elum we wanted to find out what moms really want on their big day. What makes them happy? What really touches their hearts and fills them with joy? So we asked. We talked to all the moms we know and listened (moms love it when we do that!), and are now proud to present the Six Things Moms Want Most On Mother’s Day.
1. A thoughtful gesture, card or gift. Every mom we spoke to values thoughtfulness over the monetary value of a gift. Moms love a pretty card with a handwritten message inside.
“Mom, you’re always there for me. You’re my home port in every storm. Love, Jess.”
Or “Mom, you cook the best pancakes ever—tender and sweet—just like you.”
When it comes to gifts, moms really appreciate ones that are meaningful or caring: an old family photo made new again by a beautiful frame, a mom and daughter day at a local spa, their car washed, anything made by hand by their kids.
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
2. A connection. If you can’t be with Mom on Mother’s Day, call her, FaceTime or text. Moms want to hear from you! Tell her what you love most about her. Relive your memory of the family vacation to Disneyland. Make Mom laugh by letting her know you haven’t forgotten the time she burned the Thanksgiving turkey, or the time she threw your brand new jeans in the trash by mistake. Make her cry by telling her that as soon as the bell rang after your very first day at school, the one face you couldn’t wait to see at the gates was hers. Moms want to feel connected with their kids on Mother’s Day. Show her the bond of love and family is still strong.
3. A day off from “Mommy” duty. We heard this most from moms with babies and young children. Their dream Mother’s Day is a day off from cooking, cleaning and running the household. They would really appreciate sleeping in. And while they love breakfast in bed, they would love it even more if you washed up after yourselves! #keepingitreal Clean the skillet and the stovetop—and why stop there? Nothing says, “I love you, Mom” more than cleaning the entire house!
Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash
4. Grandchildren. It’s a universal truth moms adore grandkids. If you have kids, this is a no-brainer. Bring your babies over to see Grandma. You don’t have to plan anything special. Bring cookie dough and sprinkles and let Mom and the kids bake cookies together. Or ask Mom what her favorite movie was when she was a child, and sit three generations of your family down on the couch and watch Black Beauty, Wizard of Oz or the Sound of Music. If you don’t have kids yet, we have a message from your mom. “What are you waiting for?”
5. Time. Mom just wants to spend time with you on Mother’s Day. We heard this answer over and over again. A beach day, family movie night, a potluck dinner, a day of shopping followed by afternoon tea: the most important thing to Mom is spending time with you. As we get busier and busier with our lives, Mother’s Day gives us the chance to slow down and appreciate the people who are most important to us. More than anything, moms want their families together on Mother’s Day
Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash
6. Love. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someonedeeply gives you courage.” We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty sure that Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu was thinking about how fiercely mothers love their children when he wrote that saying way back in 500 BC. No one loves us like our mom, no one protects us like our mom, no one celebrates our triumphs and takes the weight from our shoulders like our mom. Moms encourage our first smiles, hand-hold us through our first steps, bathe us thousands of times, kiss away hundreds of boo-boos, pack uncountable lunches and take all the photographs that will come back to haunt us decades later when we bring home a date.
A mom’s love is fierce, tender and everlasting. And the number one thing moms want this Mother’s Day is to feel their love is returned.
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