Mother’s Day: A Buyer’s Guide:
Motherhood is a gift. In some ways, every day, except when it isn’t, which is also every day. Do you know what I mean? If you’re a mother, you do.
By Annette McLoughlin
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We all know it’s a tough job that exacts a big toll and gives big returns. And in order to do it well, we need to reward ourselves on a regular basis. We need a little positive reinforcement now and then, and maybe even an annual “bonus.”
In that vein, I wanted to help our husbands and our children understand what they need to do (and not do) to make this very important day, a very nice day for every mom in Rye. I polled 25 friends about what they really want this Mother’s Day. For the statistically-minded, it’s admittedly a small sample size, but I think one that is representative of the population and as good a source as any that you will find on the day before Mother’s Day, which is when 99 percent of you will be pulling it together for your fabulous and deserving wives/moms.
I asked my friends what they would like (giving them a little blue sky time); what they’d like from their husbands versus their children; and what an ideal Mother’s Day would look like.
Some moms have modest requests — “the car washed,” “a massage,” “just two hours of someone rubbing my feet or brushing my hair,” and “being with the kids and no schedule.” The most interesting one in the My Friends Who Are Not Hard To Please category was: “A dumpster, in my driveway! Then, I want to throw all of my clutter out the windows!”
Others are hoping for vacations, trips, and jewelry: “a planned vacation with everything I want to do,” “a fabulous diamond pinky ring,” “lots and lots of jewels.” And my favorite, “A wife, please.”
Here are some gems from my hard-working, very deserving friends. I think they represent all of the amazing moms in our town.
“I would like my kids to go happily with their dad someplace lovely and safe so I could enjoy a cup of coffee on the deck, listen to the birds, and maybe read a whole article in The New York Times.”
“To sleep in and then have a family day all about me!”
“I just want an entire weekend of being well rested; taking it slow with everyone getting along and me not lifting a finger except to open a present!”
“I would love to have a calm picnic with my whole extended family, with no cooking or cleaning up required on my part — and no SPORTS!”
“A free day with no worries and no clean up. I don’t want to plan or clean up a single meal. I want to do no laundry, no driving, no cleaning. I would like to snuggle with my kids in the morning, run away all day, and then snuggle again at night!”
“My ideal Mother’s Day is one in which I spend time with my amazing children and husband — doesn’t matter where — just everyone fully present and unplugged, conversing and laughing.”
“An hour to watch a trashy TV show, a full day of my boys not fighting, a nap, and a good glass of wine!”
“A home-cooked meal prepared by my family, which generally happens as often as a presidential election.”
“From my husband I would love for him to take charge of the kids and get them to make their beds, dress, and get ready for church and breakfast OUT. Then I would love it if they were all waiting for me with clean happy faces when I returned from my run.”
“I would love to spend the day by myself with a pot of tea, a pile of books and magazines, my iPod filled with my favorite tunes, and a late-afternoon massage after which I take a sauna and a steam and then watch a brand-new fabulous “Masterpiece Theater,” which keeps me completely entranced until I fall blissfully asleep!”
So that’s it. Don’t say no one told you; it is all spelled out. And in case you need a little help, I’ve included a few photos of great things in Rye shops that moms would really like to receive.
