This Mother’s Day is not one for high tea at the Plaza or an expensive Sunday brunch buffet. There will not likely be a Mother’s Day craft lovingly guided by your child’s elementary school teacher. Half the gifts online have much-delayed shipping. And flowers, that old standby, can be hard to come by, depending on how shut down it is where you live.
What’s a person who loves a mother to do?
Perhaps, this year, we all hold hands and agree to take it down a notch. Families whose budgets are tight from weeks and weeks without work, or whose to-do lists overflow with full-time child care, homeschooling, cooking, and cleaning, on top of Zoom meetings and job requirements, are already strained.
Here are 10 ways to give yourself the gift of a little less pressure this Mother’s Day.
Get outdoors
Lisa Elliot-Rosas, a mother of two in Ojai, California, is keeping it simple and eminently doable under social-distancing measures. “I would like to have a picnic in my backyard and read a book.”
Honor tradition
Jason Stoikoff, of Pasadena, California, orders a custom photo book with pictures of just his wife and daughter every other year — and will be doing the same this year. “With the tens of thousands of pictures we take and catalog, our fully documented lives become a foggy haze of data in which ‘everything’ becomes ‘nothing.’” he said. “A curated object — a book, pictures in frames — is so important.”
At-home spa day
Eoin O’Shea, a father of three outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is planning a full-on spa day with a fitting climax: “Then, we just get mommy day drunk, so she can nap!”
Leverage what you’ve got
Richelle Solis, a mother of two in Oxnard, California, plans to have a family dinner and then a sunset “booze cruise” aboard her husband’s boat, around the harbor where they live.
Honor your new role
Susan Daniher Heine, a mother of two in Tampa, Florida, wants to honor her new role as homeschool mom. “I’m just going to order myself teacher appreciation gifts,” she joked.
Skip it
Terrie Samundra, a mother of two in Los Angeles, was a bit surprised by the question. “We can’t even keep track of the days,” she said. “We completely forgot.”
Call your mom
Zoë Boyce, a mom of two in Seattle, Washington, said it won’t necessarily be about her. “For single mothers, Mother’s Day just won’t exist,” she said. “I’ll call my mom and shower her with love for helping me keep it together over the past few months.”
A break
Mimi Munson, a single mom of one in Los Angeles, agreed. “Mother’s Day for single moms is a pretty hilarious crapshoot.” She has two requests: that her daughter does what she asks without arguing, and to take the day off of cleaning up after her — even if it means suffering the consequences on Monday. “It will be worth it, though!”
A socially distant twist on an old favorite
For Cassandra Puga, a mother of two in Pasadena, California, the impulse will be familiar: go to the beach and eat at her favorite seafood spot. Except, this year, they’ll pick up their order and look at the ocean from the car.
Alone time
For mother of two Rebecca Feldman — and many, many other moms across the country — the most in-demand gift is 100% free, but still comes at a premium as we all shelter at home. And that is: “Everyone leaves me alone.”
