Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day With or Without Dad’s Help

Seasons > Mother’s Day > Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day > 20 Ways for moms to Celebrate Mother’s Day With or Without Dad’s Help

1. Read books about mothers. When they are young, I read them books like “My Mom is Excellent.” Feel free to edit your own books--my favorite part of this book is my 4 year old’s crooked writing with backwards “s’s”-- she was so intent on making the story fit her own mommy, that she rewrote several pages!

2. Collect your children’s cards and letters to you and put them in a book. Every year, get it out to look at it during mother’s day season. It will warm your heart to reread their loving sentiments, and they will enjoy admiring their past handiwork. It also helps them understand that you think what they have written you is important enough to save for many years, and to look at over and over. (Hundred yen stores sell books with clear pockets that are perfect for this.) If your children have never written you a letter, send them to Sunday school--many churches help the children make cards for their mothers on Mother’s Day.

3. Make a photo album or scrap book of all the happy times you spent with your son or daughter--make one for each of your children, so they have a keepsake to take with them when they leave for college. Spend a happy mother’s day making memory albums--then update them each mother’s day. Then be sure to look at them together! It will warm both your hearts as you remember all the good times you had together. And don’t forget to make a memory album for yourself, too, since your children will be taking their copies with them when they move away.

6. Write your own mother a letter of appreciation. Whether it’s an e-mail or old fashioned piece of paper, ask your children to each write a few lines, too, and give them hints if they have trouble coming up with what to write. Here again, you are teaching through example by letting them see you do it, and by letting them read what you have written. You are also tutoring them through experience by making them think about how to please someone else, and by having them express it in words.

19. Thank them profusely when they do something for you, no matter how feeble their effort may seem. The wilted bouquet of wild flowers, or burned toast breakfast needs heaps of praise if you want to nurture their desire to do things for other people. It is seeing your genuine pleasure that makes them want to do it again, and to do even better the next time. As the years pass, you will be amazed with the ways they come up with to delight you-- staying up half the night so they can keep decorating for your birthday a surprise, or presenting you with a gift that you wonder how in the world they knew you wanted. It takes many years of nurturing to reach this level--so don’t give up! I was not too happy when I saw my kitchen after my elementary aged children made me pancakes, but now I LOVE this photo--every crusted-on-drip of batter shouts their love!

20. Don’t get mad about all the things your family is NOT doing to celebrate Mother’s Day. That is the one thing that will kill all efforts instantly--it is a strategy that is guaranteed to backfire. It also results in bitterness that can eat away at your own peace of mind. Thankfully, God can give you the grace to forgive, and heal you of the resentment--all you have to do is ask. But you should keep this between you and God--it will only do more damage to confess to your loved ones how much you resented them for not appreciating you for all the time and effort you spend on them.

18. Drop hints when you are shopping together. Say, “Oh, look, they are already selling Mother’s Day cards. “ Or point out something in the store and say “Oh, I need one of those because mine is broken.” or “Wouldn’t it be cool to have a gadget like that!” That way they know how much it costs, what store it’s in, and what part of the store to find it in. Yes, they need that much help. It’s frustrating for them to want to do something for you, but not know what you want, or where to find it. But it is especially exciting if they can figure out a present “on their own.” So you are actually helping them. If you just can’t bring yourself drop hints like that, give your husband a list, so he can tell your children, and plan in secret.

If you keep reading aloud over the years, you can even get away with reading heart warming stories like Chicken Soup for the Soul when they are teenagers-- while you are riding in the car on the way to church or a restaurant, and while you wait for your orders to come. These stories are short, so you can squeeze them into short time slots.

4. Tell stories. Children love hearing stories about themselves, whether it is about when they were born or how they learned to walk or ride a bike. This is a natural time to express how impressed you are with how much they have grown and developed. They love hearing stories about Mom, too, when she was their age, or how she got in trouble, what her hobbies were, or how she fell in love with Daddy. It’s a good way for them to learn their family history, especially for events before they were born.

5. Speak words of affirmation-- tell them how privileged you are to be their mother, and how glad you are that God put them in your family--after all, you wouldn’t be a mother without them! When you tell them these things, or write them, you are teaching your children by example--how to use words of thanks, encouragement, or praise. Use these words generously, and you will most likely hear them often. Use them sparingly, and you will probably only hear them occasionally.

10. Play Life Stories or Chicken soup for the Soul Games. These games have question cards that encourage everyone to tell stories that they may not have thought to tell each other about. Or make up your own game. Have everyone write relatives’ and friends’ names on cards, and take turns choosing a card, and see who can tell the most stories about that person. Or have everyone make up a question, and then have everyone answer that question, including the person who made up the question. Anything works--”tell about a time you got in trouble” or “how would you spend $1000?” or “what is your favorite dessert?”

8. Make up a secret signal that you use with each other, and no one else knows about. For my children, we squeezed the other person’s hand 3 times, which meant “I love you.” The other person squeezed back twice, meaning, “How much?” Now it is the first person’s turn again to squeeze just once, but as hard as they can, to show just how much they love that person.

When I was a child, our family squeezed or tapped, “I love you so very much.” 4 long, then 3 quick-- once for each syllable.

9. Make a time capsule. Let each person choose something to include as a reminder of that year. It shouldn’t be their favorite toy, as they won’t see it for many years. It might even be fun to add to it every year. One year we included pigtails when my daughter decided to cut her hair short, and then photos of her little brother wearing them tucked into a baseball cap. Handprints, footprints, everyone’s height or weight, lists or photos of favorite toys, clothing, food, friends, books, T.V. shows all might be fun to look at in years to come. Predictions of what they will do when they grow up might be interesting as well. Agree what year it will be opened. Then throw a party with great fanfare to open it.

7. Write a family History together. You may think you will remember everything, but so much is forgotten. Every year, take time to record... that the refrigerator broke, or Uncle Kent came to visit, or the basketball team won the championship, that they got chickenpox, and who got glasses and when they were baptized. Besides being fun to go back and review what happened in years past, it can be very helpful if warranty or immunization records get lost!

11. Have a contest-- to see who knows mom best. Have everyone list mom’s favorite color, flower, foods, desserts, books, authors, music, artists, events, destinations, etc. Mom should write them, too, as this becomes the answer sheet. Give out prizes--for the most correct answers, and for the most creative answers--make this a fun event that everyone enjoys. Include sizes in the quiz, such as shoe, dress, and ring, and anyone who is listening should have some good ideas of what they can give you for Mother’s day or birthday, or Christmas. Don’t feel selfish--this is helping them immensely, because it can be very frustrating for them to not know what kind of present to get you.

12. Take each child on a date Or better yet, ask each child to take you on a date. Of course you will the do the driving and the paying, but let them choose where to go and what to do. It can be on different days, or for each meal on Mother’s Day. But if you prefer to all be together on that day, make it a tradition to go out to eat. Ask them, “Where shall we go out to eat this year for Mother’s Day?”

14. Surprise them. Make it a tradition to do something really goofy on Mother’s Day--start a pillow fight or a water fight. Or play hide and seek, but don’t tell them you are playing--just hide, and when they finally find you, jump up and yell--they will either die laughing or of fright! They might think Mom goes crazy on Mother’s Day, but you will be making lots of fun memories, “Remember the year Mom did...”

13. Do something you love. Invite everyone to come on an adventure, and take them to a place you really love--take them to a garden you have been wanting to visit, or a museum you have wanted to see, or on a mountain hike, or a bike hike--what ever you really love doing. Who knows, they might learn to love the same things you do.

17. Take a trip to the past Watch videos of when Mom was a little girl, or watch T.V. shows or movies from that time period, or listen to her favorite music. Or take a real trip, and point out all the places those family stories took place in.

15. Mom vs. family--See who can tell more stories about Mom--the kids, or Mom. Mom starts telling a story, and if the kids can finish it, they get a point. If they can’t, Mom finishes the story, and gets a point.

16. Take a photo with each child. This may sound unnecessary, but if you don’t, your children may become adults before you realize that you do not have any pictures of them with you. You will be glad if you make it a Mother’s Day tradition to take photos of yourself with each child.

“So, isn’t it selfish to celebrate mother’s Day for yourself?” No, not if your goal is to teach your children to think about others. All year long they think about nobody but themselves. if they are never expected to take any responsibilities, they grow up thinking they are supposed to be waited on hand and foot--selfish and ungrateful. Mother’s Day is one of those times that if they get involved in doing something for someone else, it can be a huge life lesson. And when they see how delighted you are with their efforts, it becomes addictive--there is nothing like doing something for someone else to get an emotional high. When they do just a little work on one day, all of a sudden they become acutely aware of how much hard work it is for Mom to take care of them, and they become very grateful...for a little while, anyway until they forget. That’s why it’s important to do it every year. So make sure your children are involved in planning and preparing for Father’s Day, other family member’s birthdays, and Christmas, in addition to Mother’s Day, to teach them gratitude and generosity. But all these chances to teach them are lost if your children are not involved in the preparing, and giving. And it does NOT count if you give them money to spend on a present to pick for someone--because it is a present from you, not them. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but when they grow up to be kind, thoughtful, generous, grateful adults, you know it was worth it all!