With Mothers' Day so quickly approaching, I feel that I should speak for just a moment , on behalf of Mothers everywhere, on the impending barrage of Mothers' Day celebrations and gifts. Although being a mother is indeed the greatest gift of all, attention should be paid to the presents that are bought, made, and given on Sunday. Here are a few helpful hints:
- When making the Mother in your life breakfast, it is the thought that counts. We do not care if you make omelettes, sausage and bagels, Eggs Benedict, or just cereal and fruit. However, we would REALLY appreciate it if you would clean up afterwards! Far too often we walk through the kitchen after our relaxing breakfast in bed to find the entire room covered in pancake batter, strawberry tops, and bacon grease. One burnt (but lovingly made) breakfast is not worth the hours, upon hours, of clean-up.
- When buying us gifts, most of us do not care if you spend $20, $200, or $2,000. However, we would appreciate it if you would NOT purchase us the gifts that you want. For example - I want a bench or a fountain for my garden. However, I will probably end up with an Xbox under the guise that it is FUN for everyone! Additionally, we really don't want gifts that result in more work for us! For example - A good gift would be a dishwasher, A bad gift is a Lawn Mower. Get the point?
- If you would like to take us to lunch or dinner, that is fantastic! But PLEASE do not expect us to get everyone ready. A $9.95 surf and turf plate at the Red Lobster is a poor trade off for the hour long process of digging through the filth of the boys' rooms looking for clean shirts and trying to wrangle your sweet little princess's hair into pigtails when she is screaming bloody murder, while your husband sits contently flipping the television between ESPN and ESPN2.
- Home-made gifts are one of the many joys of parenting. I cherish the many paper weights, Christmas ornaments, and paintings that my children have produced through my 24 years of being a mom. Though I am sure that I am not the only mother who has received the booklet of hand written gift certificates full of things that our children have NO intention of doing. Right now I am probably sitting on 4 certificates "Good for 1 Car Wash", 12 - "I will not complain at bed time" pledges, 20 coupons for "A Free Hug", and about 56 vouchers for "Breakfast in Bed"... I have so many because once my little angels gave them to me, it was over. They had no plans to ever complete a single task in those hand-crafted glitter covered coupon book of lies. (When I gave my husband the "sexy coupon" book, you better believe he made me follow through... sometimes twice... he claimed it was Double Coupon Tuesday!) Anyway my kids might as well given me vouchers for plutonium, I probably could get that filled just as quickly as my voucher for one day free of "Mom, could you...".
Anyway, the best present that anybody (including myself) can give their mother is just the love and respect that is deserved. Being a mom is hard work. Physically. Emotionally. Financially. Spiritually. No one ever warns you that labor and delivery would be the easy part, but it is.
One the other hand, is it so worth it. It is the best job that I have ever had.
Happy Mothers' Day!
Love - D
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