A Definition for Mother’s Day

In my last post, I wrote up a Gift Guide for Mother’s Day and I loved thinking of all of the beautiful gifts that might come out of those suggestions.

But I didn’t expand on who I think those gifts could be for – Captain Obvious would say mothers.

Yes! Mothers. Not just your own mother, or the mother of your children. There are lots of lovely ladies in our lives that deserve a gift to say thanks for caring so much all year long.

A few weeks ago was International Women’s Day. I work with a lovely girl who is from Europe, and that morning she gave me a hug, complimented what I was wearing, and said “Happy International Women’s Day!”

Okay, I had to ask… what’s the big deal? I’m not a hugger, and I was wearing my normal outfit. Naively, I said I had seen it on the Google Doodle, and asked if it was like all of those other “holidays” that are springing up all over the place – Coffee Day, and Donut Day, and Waffle Day (I love breakfast foods).

No, apparently in other parts of the world, International Women’s Day is an actual thing. Much like Mother’s Day, where you take time to celebrate mothers and women and shower them in love and appreciation. (She also told me that in her country, a child’s birthday is also a celebration for the mother, who continues to receive cards and gifts every year on her child’s birthday! Heck yes!)

So let’s think about this – in the US we have Mother’s Day. We give our mom a nice card and a gift, and we often stop there. But what if we use the day to really spread some love to other special women in our lives, or women who just seem like they could use the extra pat on the back? Here are some that come to mind:

1. Grandmothers – this one is pretty obvious, and there are lots of ideas floating around Pinterest for cute DIY ideas on gifts to make Grandma with your kids.
2. Sisters – if she’s older, especially, she probably had some hand in raising you. If she has her own children, she’s a mom and deserves a little cheer.
3. The neighbor who has your back – she helps out in a pinch, brings over cookies when she makes a batch that’s too big, and just enjoys your company. She would love a card to say you appreciate having her around, and isn’t that the basis of a good Mother’s Day card without the “I love you mom” at the end?
4. Daycare teachers – they take care of those precious little kids when you’re away, and put up with a lot in the mean time. A plate of cookies can go a long way, or maybe get a group of parents together to bring in a bunch of snacks for their break room the Monday after Mother’s Day for a special treat.
5. That mom who needs a pick-me-up – Not every mom has a constant support system saying “you’re doing a good job.” She might be someone you see at work every day with her hair a tattered mess and some gunk on her shoulder, but she’s working hard anyway. Or the mom who brings her toddler to church with a bunch of quiet toys to keep him occupied because she really needs to be there for the service and the community.

In these cases, a small treat or a nice card can go a long way. And it doesn’t even have to be an “I love you Mom” card, but rather a nice written note saying “you’re doing a great job, Happy Mother’s Day,” Just so she knows someone really is noticing, and that she’s appreciated.