Sure, give me a card, but there’s only one person I’m thinking about on Mother’s Day, and it’s not myself.
As Mother’s Day approaches, I don’t think about what I want to do that day. I don’t start imagining a day of indulgence, breakfast in bed or even special events with my children. For me, Mother’s Day is all about my mum. All I care about is what she wants to do. Anything else doesn’t interest me.
Apparently, this is wrong.
Mother’s Day has always been about my mum for me. I love being a mum but I don’t feel any need to be worshipped and adored on the second Sunday in May because I feel worshiped and adored every single day. My children are my everything and I have an amazing life that allows me to completely and thoroughly enjoy every single second of being a mum.
For my mum, it wasn’t like this.
Mum had it tough. She really struggled when we were little. She didn't have any friends or relatives who could help her with her four children and my dad worked incredibly long hours. She also worked. Whenever I picture her when I was a child, I remember her always being busy doing things. She powerwalked everywhere and we'd trot behind her trying to keep up.
She'd rush through the grocery shopping, unpack it all when we got home, stop to hand us sandwiches as she unpacked, fold some laundry, get dinner started and bake all our favourite treats. I remember talking to her back a lot. I'd have conversations with her while she cooked, while she cleaned, while she hung up laundry, while she drove us to school, while she was busy doing a million things.
This created a bit of distance between us but that was corrected when I was in Year 3 and contracted glandular fever. I missed months and months of school and I remember being at home, just me and my mum. I've never felt more loved, cherished or special. I felt terribly ill, but I remember mum and I always being together. She doesn't know that the year I had glandular fever is one of my favourite childhood memories for this reason.
So now that I'm grown, my favourite thing to do is hang out with her. I drop by, we have coffee, we go to lunch. We used to go on lots of outings but not so many since I returned to full time work. But I know that on Mother's Day I'll be happy if she is happy, surrounded by all her children and their children, meeting up at a park, setting up lunch, seeing her sit and relax and just chill.
I know most families have different formats for the day and I wonder how they juggle it all.
Some do a combined family event with mums, mother-in-laws and their own families. Others divide up the day. The morning is about them and their families, then it's lunch with their mum and afternoon tea or dinner with their mother-in-laws. Some abandon traditional Mother's Day activities all together and join a fun run or go to a day spa with girlfriends.
How do you organise Mother's Day? Is the focus on you or your mum?
CLICK THROUGH these pictures of celebrities and their mums.
