Mother's Day really snuck up on us this year. It's May 10. THAT'S REALLY SOON. (I thought I had an entire extra week!) This year, we're trying to be on top of the gifts, but are already out of ideas. Even if you're on a budget, there are some great DIY Mother's Day gifts to consider. And you can always spring for a hilarious Mother's Day card. Possibilities abound! Especially when moms say what they want for Mother's Day on Reddit and take care of the research for us.
When I was a kid with no money of my own, my mother used to tell me to draw whatever I wanted to get her. It wasn't the prettiest looking exercise because I'm incapable of sketching anything. Nonetheless, I would draw off-scale pictures of earrings or necklaces that I would've liked to gift her. Last year was the first year my brother and I both had full-time jobs and we decided to splurge to make up for 20+ years of cheap gifts. We took an unconventional route and actually sat down and discussed all the things my mom had wanted, but never had the time or patience to do for herself. We ended up buying her a few personal training sessions at her gym, which she loved. (I highly recommend that, or a few yoga classes if you have a mother who always says she wants to work out more.)
This year, I'm think I'm going to learn a few lessons from Reddit before I select my Mother's Day gift. Here are the 8 best suggestions from Redditor Mamas:
1. A handwritten card and breakfast in bed
I_said_Miraclewhip said,
"I have a 20 yr old in college, and he has no money. So a lovely card with a handwritten note saying he appreciates me, and listing some reasons why would be all I want. And maybe cook me breakfast. What's better than that?"
2. A massage or spa day
This comes up on the Reddit thread because it's an open and shut gift that's cliché for a reason: Your mama deserves a massage. Not from her 2-year-old daughter, from a professional. And maybe throw in a manicure too.
3. Silence while peeing PLEASE
A few moms on Reddit are over the whole Hallmark aspect of this holiday, and just need some peace and quiet.
All they want is:
"A long, uninterrupted nap and to piss in peace...Also, showering without someone walking into the bathroom/yelling for me from outside of it." - thunderkuntz
"My kids are now 21 and 23. I ask for the same thing every year. Don't argue, clean the house without being asked, and make me breakfast. Still waiting to get that gift." - TishraDR
These moms just need a well-deserved day of chill.
4. Find some local fun
Sweetmercy revealed that her mother-daughter tradition is to take a little road trip to go strawberry picking and stop by a chocolate festival. Can we get anymore quintessentially adorable? Do a little research and see what free fun there is in your area.
5. Take a trip to see your mom's mom
We get so wrapped up in pleasing (or pissing off) our mothers that we forget they have their own lady to celebrate.
Sweetmercy also mentioned: "What I want more than anything is for my daughter and I to be able to go out to Minnesota to see my mom, whom we both miss a great deal!"
6. Get boozy
One super fun mom, dorothyborothy, said she wants a few hours to herself to brew and drink beers. (She's also going to go to the zoo drunk on Mother's Day because she knows how to live.) Make your mom a Bloody Mary bar or get her a subscription to a Wine club that sends her a new bottle every month. If you live near local wineries or breweries, pick up a few bottles or a growler for her.
7. Start a new, handwritten tradition
Another mother, fish-x-5, mentioned that her son wrote her a letter to her every year and that she saves them all. Putting something down on paper is always a treat, especially when it outlines the year you've had together.
8. Clean the house and choose foods your mother likes
By far, the biggest ask on Reddit was for kids to do the obvious: help around the house. Help clean, chauffeur, cook and do all the things mother's do every other day of the year.
500Hats says:
"I'd like a day off from cooking/cleaning/taxi service. I'd like a meal centered on things that I like to eat instead of a meal centered on avoiding the foods that my kids turn their nose up at. I love mushrooms and haven't cooked any in the last 5 years."
Treat your mother's well this year, guys! They deserve it.
Images: The CW(2); Giphy(4)
