What To Give Yourself For Mother's Day
Tell them what you want, what you really, really want.
One Mother’s Day when my kids were little, I was given a pancake griddle. While on the toilet.
On another, when my kids weren’t that little, I was reduced to tears while on a fun family hike.
Mother’s Day can be complicated and fraught: a mix of gratitude, grief, great expectations, and futility. But, when it comes to celebrating, I believe one thing rings true: what moms really want is the gift of freedom.
Freedom to be alone, to be together, to be selfish, silent, sleep in, or take two exercise classes in a row without being hemmed in by nap time. To have total ownership over One. Single. Day. “Every day should be Mother’s Day” is a lovely sentiment, but that’s a lot like saying “live each day like it’s your last.” Sure. I’ll carpe diem, but first let me throw in a load of laundry. Life goes on for moms, special day or not.
We have to gift that freedom to ourselves (which I realize can be a luxury for many) even if it only means NOT doing the thing you’re supposed to want to do on Mother’s Day — like maybe a fancy brunch with extended family that requires you to wrangle your kids into nice outfits and even nicer behavior? Just off the top of my head.
Maybe your idea of freedom is taking a girls trip for an entire weekend or a leisurely walk for a couple of hours while sipping a coffee that someone else made for you. It can be doing that thing that always looks so fun (like puppy yoga!) or getting a fabulous blow out that makes your entire week easier. Maybe all you want is to escape into a movie in an actual theater or into a floating meditative state. Or perhaps your idea of freedom is staying in your own bed and binging shows until you crave your crazy kids again.
But if you’re the type (and I see you) that enjoys an actual gift, please just buy it for yourself. (Or when someone asks, don’t you dare say you don’t need anything or you’ll end up with IOUs for lousy massages and dirty breakfast-in-bed dishes to wash.) Treat yourself to that thing you’ve had your eye on for a future special occasion. That time is now, lady. And if you need some ideas, I have a whole shop right here of covetable things, some of which are below. These are gifts that moms actually want — with options that also give back to others:
Fuck stud earring | Cool Mom needlepoint pillow | Dr Diamond’s Metacine collection | Diptyque hourglass diffuser | Made You Blush vibrator kit | Alo tennis dress | Cuyana tote | ZIIP HALO micro-current device | CBD/THC gummies
Moms are always on. Even these elephants know. So take care of yourself, however and whenever you can. And don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
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