Taxes
Teacher Appreciation Week x 2 (I’m head of my son’s PTSA, plus my spouse is a teacher at another school)
Birthday (son)
Birthday (puppy—yes, we’re those people who celebrate our human with fur)
Mother’s Day: Other Mothers
Mother’s Day: Me
This is what early May looks like in our home. It hasn’t been this busy since the holidays. I am not sure how this happened. When did May become so insane?
We try to take time to acknowledge each of these activities separately, but admittedly, there is some overlap.
So, to unclog this logjam, I told my husband and son that I have no problem with floating my Mother’s Day this year to accommodate the other activities. Because, like many families, Mother’s Day isn’t just about me, it’s about my mom, hubby’s mom, my stepmom, my grandmother, my sisters who are moms, my sisters-in-law who are moms and a whole host of play aunties. That’s a lot of folks to please, even in a pandemic where we’re still limiting in-person gatherings.
Mother’s Day should not be stressful, for moms or for those who lovingly support us. Here are some of the ways I have celebrated in recent years:
Float Mother’s Day. It bears repeating: My celebration can be moved. I’m OK with it. I promise. I have had Thanksgiving on Friday. I have had Valentine’s Day on the 16th to avoid the restaurant crowds. I have a friend who claims the entire month of November as her birthday month. So, I don’t mind my Mother’s Day being celebrated the following weekend when flowers are cheaper (there will still be flowers, right?) and the price of a dozen jumbo crabs have returned to their post-holiday reasonable rates.
Packed Restaurants. One Mother’s Day, we sat in a restaurant watching as a husband, wife, and two young children were having dinner a few tables away. Between the two parents, they must have left the table a half-dozen times to calm their children. In the end, they ended up packing up their meal and leaving. Now I ask you: How is this relaxing for Mom?
Calling All Moms. Gather all of the moms in your life and have brunch at home, if you can do this safely with the pandemic still looming. That way, you don’t have to worry about slighting Mom or Mother-in-Law or Auntie. Hire a personal chef or go potluck. Take care of all the women in your life in one gathering.
Leave Her Alone. Is Mom feeling stir-crazy? She loves you but she’s sick of the sight of you. Even though many of us have spent the past year vegging on the couch, she still might want to veg on the couch—alone—for a change. Give her some space. Take the kids, the dog and let her have the house to herself for a few hours. This year, especially, I am grateful for having a healthy and happy family, but I could use a break from the one-plus-year of shut-in closeness.
So, to all the Mothers that I love, enjoy. I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. This weekend, it’s all about me.
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