Moms, what do you really want on Mother's Day?

A full night’s sleep, someone else to do the dishes, and no one nagging me for shit.

Seriously. That’s holiday-special enough for me.

@Seek_Kolinahr Thank you. I just added cleanup duty to the to do list.

I really, really want to have my family all with me but that ain’t happening. We used to do a hike and a picnic on Mother’s Day and I loved it.

As a substitute for my sons, I have invited my nephew, his wife and their three year old to come out for the day. We’ll go to a park and probably backto my house for a barbecue.

I wish I could give my mother back her cognisanze, now lost to dementia. I miss her intelligence, wit, talent, health and energy, and of course her ability to connect with me, my brother and her friends.

* sigh *

I love that you’re celebrating three generations of moms! You might consider sitting down with each and interviewing them. Allow them to tell tales of their remembrances of motherhood. You can make the interviews as structured or unstructured as you like.

Certainly preserve the outcome either with a video/audio recording or transcribe the interviews into a format that resembles a book or magazine. Present the final product to the family in honor of the moms.

I wish I’d done this when I had more moms around.

I saw this post earlier today.

Personally, I’ve never been much for this holiday, as it makes what should come naturally – appreciation for someone’s contributions to your life – become obligatory. I don’t have a good relationship with my mother, and I know that I wasn’t a great mom to my son. However, he and I do have a good relationship, and we express our love and appreciation for each other in real time, so I don’t want anything extra because somebody decided that the second Sunday in May was the one day to celebrate motherhood.

We will be hosting a family meal on Mother’s Day, but it is because 4 of the 6 people attending have May birthdays.

I love the picnic idea. I want quality outdoor time with my family on Mothers Day.

Otherwise, I want healthy and yummy. Salad of local mixed greens with strawberries and almonds and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. Grilled chicken. Chocolate-covered fruit. Iced sun tea or homemade lemonade (with real lemons).

Homemade cards/poems/handprints/mixtapes are a plus. Be clever and authentic.

@Cupcake The picnics were great. One year we drove to Connecticut and met my older son who was in college in Rhode Island. Another year we explored all of Central Park. Many years were just local hikes and a picnic. I really miss those family days so much!

@hearkat That’s going on my Facebook. Now.

Am I a freak? I don’t really want anything. I can’t think of anything special. I feel fine about being a mom and I don’t really think I need a reward for it.

But I know that’s just me. Sometimes I use my birthday as an excuse to buy myself something—and I appreciate presents, but I never really want anything for my birthday. I pretty much have everything I want and if I don’t have it, I can get it. My husband and daughter are as appreciative as they need to be on a daily basis.

@keobooks You’re definitely not a freak. It isn’t about presents. We use the day to get the family together and enjoy a good meal. It’s a family thing for us. But I do like to make it memorable so the mothers have some nice memories.

For ALL my kids to come over and sit around and have them tell me the hair raising stories of all the things they did behind my back when they lived at home….and to be amazed at how really mild all the “bad” stuff was that they did. Like, Corrie told me that she snuck outside a few times in the middle of the night. I asked her what she did when she snuck out.
“Went and sat on the curb in front of the house.”
....“The curb in front of the house is also in front of my bedroom window, Corrie!”
“I know.”
She said the first time she tried sneaking out the upstairs window…and fell off the roof. After that she just went out the front door.
“The front door is right next to my room, Corrie.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you use the back door on the other end of the house?”
Shrugs “I unno!”

They said they were afraid to do anything REALLY bad because there wasn’t a doubt in their mind that I’d find out. I raised them to think I was a witch with ESP, see, starting when they were little.

To be appreciated, acknowledged,understood,loved,remembered,and to have a Dinner
together where Mother does not have to lift a finger.
A Studio Portrait arranged of her and her family members together .

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Your answer made me tear up. I’m dealing with the same thing as you since my mother’s ruptured brain aneurysm 7 weeks ago. I visited her a few days ago and she was worse than she was 2 weeks after her surgery to treat the rupture. I spent several hours with her and I don’t think she realized who I was. She seemed happier to see the nurses. My mom would be raising hell if she realized she was in a hospital and she couldn’t smoke or have a glass of wine. She’s not the person we all know and it’s been hard to accept. ((hugs))

Bah! I’m trying to think of a helpful answer, but all I want is my mommy back and that’s all I can think of. I’m sorry I can’t be of any help @Adirondackwannabe. Moms are easy. They are happy spending time with their kids any day of the year. (well, most days) :)

Lately I’m not really getting along with my mother, so if I could, I would prefer not to spend the day with her. That would be one gift.

As far as someone giving me something, if my daughter (who is kindergarten age) made me something, I’d be very happy.

I’d just like a couple of nice cards and your company. Some flowers if you want to go all out. No presents, no big deal. A good conversation over pizza is better than a fancy meal anywhere.

Um. My company is Boeing @Jeruba. Do you want the WHOLE thing? (With that thought in my mind I read the rest and saw ”...a good corporate over pizza.” You don’t ask for much, do you!)

It’s weird because on mothers day I normally get a card and flowers or something of my son that his nanny gets for him, but I don’t really feel as though I celebrate being a mum on that day. On his birthday I feel more like mother days then that’s when I feel it, is that odd I don’t know but that’s just how feel.