It's Mother's Day this Sunday. I just received my annual Mother's Day bouquet from my son and his family.

It's very pretty, I like flowers.

Not that I'm ungrateful, but in a way, like many Mom's, I'd rather they didn't spend the $ on a floral arrangement. They could show up at the house with flowers from the grocery store, or just send me a card. It would make me just as happy, and they could save themselves some cash.

I'm lucky enough to still have my Mom. I plan on taking her out for a nice lunch tomorrow and doing some shopping with her if she chooses. One of my sisters will make her a New England Clam Boil for lunch on Sunday. That is a favorite of Mom's.

Rick and I don't make a fuss over birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Quiet celebrations (with exception of S2K meets) work for us. When it comes to Mother's Day, I know many people make a fuss over it. What does your family do to celebrate Mother's Day?

 

I always go to church with my mom and give her a card with a gift of cash inside. I'd just as soon my kids just call and say hello and forget about it. Its just no big deal to me. I used to buy mom gifts, etc., by decided several years ago that if she can't eat or wear it, she really doesn't want it, so she can use the $$ to do whatever she wants. It seems to make her happier.

 

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My mom used to be funny about gifts vs cash. You could tell by her face that if you gave her cash, she thought you had not put any thought into it. (She likes fusses and productions for holidays )

The gift aspect changed once she retired. Cash is now a welcome gift. She'll shop for bargains, and/or use the cash towards various senior citizen trips to here and there. I rarely give her anything but $ these days.

 

This is an excellent topic for a healthy discussion. My wife and I had a little heated exchanges with our 17 year old son about this yesterday. Since I don't really make a big deal of any special days, he has taken that to be the "modus operandi," by saying that he would simply give a hug. Now, that would be adequate but at the same time, it really bothered me that he didn't want to put any kind of energy into "honoring" his mother. I grew up in a home where my father over-emphasized all these special days when they mattered to my parents so I felt I didn't want to be like that. But now, I am wondering if I did the right thing in not making a big deal out of these special days. For me, I really could care less but for my wife, I sensed she felt hurt by my son's very nonchalant approach to this. I guess I am venting....

 

It was the same in my house growing up, but times were different.

Many Moms were at home during the week and weekends and holidays were times for visting and making a fuss over whatever holiday it was.

As an adult I've never cared for that whole deal (I'm known as the family grinch ), but times are changed.

With most couples having both partners working, there is a lot less time for visiting and holiday fussing. Weekends more often than not are filled with laundry and housework and errands. For some, the visting and fussing becomes just "one more thing to do."

You can probably guide your son to a bit of "fussing over his Mom." All most of us want to know is that someone thought of us.

Since my granddaughter was very small, I buy a card for her mom (my daughter in law) for birthdays, Mother's Day, etc. I always trace my granddaughter's hand print on the inside of the card. I know my daughter in law appreciates that effort.

This year my granddaughter traced her own hand, colored it in, and signed the card herself.

 

I'm not a fan of 'Hallmark Holidays', but as kids we would always make our Mom take a day off on Mother's Day, and usually get her a box of chocolates and flowers, but not expensive ones.

These days I always miss Mother's Day because it comes much earlier in Ireland, and I never think about it until I start seeing ads in the paper for US Mother's Day, by which time it's way too late.

 

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom's out there I hope you all have a great day on sunday.
My family makes a big deal out of birthdays and holidays I think one of the reasons is that we are a small family. Since I've lived in Vermont my Mom always comes up for Mothers Day weekend and spends it with myself and my Dad up here and we take her out to eat and I always get her a few presents. This year we had planned on getting together this weekend but Mom came down with a cold at the last minute so we had to postpone the visit.

 

Maybe this year is more important than usual, since my mother is ill. I am not much of a celebrator, but I always get her a card and a little something to show her I'm thinking of her. This year it was flowers in a beautiful painted vase, which were delivered on Fri. She loved them. And I got her a card, which I took over yesterday. She read it as I was leaving and came out to hug me. We shed a few tears. It was very, very special.

 

To all the Mothers:



Delivered with lots of hugs:

 

I took Mom out shopping and to lunch yesterday (Lobster roll and clam chowder )

She had mentioned her knee was bothering her, so after she looked around a bit, she'd find a bench to sit on.

I was doing some shopping for my granddaughter's birthday. After I found what I wanted I started to look for Mom. Couldn't find her. I kept going up and down the aisles where she had been. I looked where I knew there was some seating, no Mom. I was just about ready to tell someone I lost my mother.

A woman came up to me and said to me "Are you looking for your mother? She's on the bench near the door." I asked her how she knew what my Mom looked like. She said she entered the store behind us. She told me she saw me walking around and I had the same look on my face that she used to get while shopping with her Mom, and her Mom was never where she expected her to be.

I walked toward the exit with her, thanked her, and she wished my Mom a Happy Mother's Day.

I was surprised that my Mom chose that seat as it was not near any cash registers, and though I had looked in the area for her, I never went as far as the exit.