Give Mom Appreciation, Not Alcohol, on Mother's Day
Apr 29, 2020
Before you start with the wine jokes for Mother’s Day.
Please don’t.
Wine has been sold to women as the cure for parenting stress, and it’s a lie.
I know because I tried it.
I wanted relief during the nightly dinner time, bath time, bedtime routine.
I wanted something to take the edge off of me, being me.
I was anxious that our house was never clean enough for me.
I was worried that I was never good enough for my kids.
I was trying to keep up parenting and working.
I was always overwhelmed.
Often my schedule required me to be in two places at once.
I was not able to manage this impossible feat.
My attempts caused me so much stress.
That magic wine elixir did work at first.
It took the edge off.
It soothed my nerves and made me feel like everything was ok.
I started to look forward to my first evening sip.
Then, I started to depend on it.
Then, I started to panic when there was not enough of it.
Then, there was never enough of it to fill the hole of not enough inside me.
My family was disappointed in me.
I would have more than I said I would.
I would drink too fast.
Too much.
Too loud.
I was starting to hide away from them, in order to get my drink on, and find my relief.
What was supposed to make me a more easy, breezy, beautiful mom, was starting to turn me away from my kids.
What I really needed was a day off, a week off, a break, and appreciation.
Wine isn’t a break, anyone that has woken up with a hangover knows how awful it is.
To treat the special Mom's in your life this Mother's Day, you can get more creative than a bottle of wine.
What Mom really wants is someone else to plan the meal.
She wants you do the dishes without her nagging.
A note of gratitude and acknowledgement would go a long way.
Support her in her career endeavors.
Give her a quiet place to do yoga or read her book.
Listen to her ideas.
Take her suggestions.
This is what Mom's want.
As Megan Markle said, women don’t need to find their voice, they have a voice, they need to be empowered to use it, and they need people to listen.
Listen to your Mother.
That would be the best Mother’s Day gift you could give.
Alcohol, even pink alcohol with a cute label, is not what any Mom needs.
A place and space to relax is what she needs.
You could treat her to a lavender scented candle, special face mask, and bath salt.
Time in nature heals.
You could plan a picnic or join her, with enthusiasm, in the garden.
Buy her flowers.
New gardening gloves and tools are a treat.
Play her favorite music on the speaker.
Books.
If your Mom is like me, all she ever wants is new books and a quiet place to read them.
Good chocolate for dessert.
New spring polish for a manicure.
You could pamper her by doing it yourself.
Invest in purchasing that online yoga subscription, she hasn’t bought for herself yet.
Attention, interest, and gratitude.
This costs nothing.
Interview your Mom.
Ask questions about her.
Notice the work she does.
DIY photo shoot with her.
Thank her.
Tell her how much you love her.
That is really all a Mom needs and none of it is found in a bottle of wine.
