The Free Gift All Moms Want This Mother’s Day

The coronavirus quarantine has made shopping for Mother’s Day a little more difficult this year. Yes, we are all about shopping online and gift cards. But, given our current circumstances of working from home and helping our kids with distance learning at the same time, there is one thing all moms want for Mother’s Day – alone time. We are with our children 24/7 during this pandemic. Whereas we have always enjoyed some alone time, now we NEED it.

So, dads and kids, you can make Mother’s Day extra special this year without spending a penny. How? Give her the beautiful gift of alone time.

Time to Herself

When is the last time mom got time to herself? Something as small as taking the kids outside and giving her the house to herself for a few hours is a gift she will love. Or, sending her to her bedroom and not allowing the kids to enter will grant her much needed time to herself. And, for goodness sake, let her go to the bathroom alone!

Time with the TV

If your house is like mine, the kids are getting way more screen time than usual. But this also means my TV time has cut way back. Treat mom to a day where she is in complete control of the remote. Let her binge-watch shows like Real Housewives or Outlander. No kid shows allowed! If this just doesn’t seem possible, revert to the suggestion above (time to herself) by sending her to a room with her mobile device and earbuds.

Time Without Noise

Another thing that has been challenging during the quarantine? Our houses are NEVER quiet during the day. There is always noise. At some points, there is noise from separate devices for online learning, plus work from home Zoom conference calls. And, moms need silence every now and then. Mother’s Day is the perfect time to give Mom the gift of silence. Send her outside and away from the noise. Better yet, give her noise-canceling headphones and tell her to wear them all day on Mother’s Day.

Time Without Being in Charge

I know there are tons of dads doing their part to help during this strange time, but there is tons of evidence that the quarantine is reinforcing traditional gender roles with moms doing the bulk of “parenting and schooling” while also trying to work from home. This means Mom has a whole lot on her plate and is making decisions all day long. And, making all the decisions for a household is exhausting. On Mother’s Day, give her the gift of not having to be in charge. For example - Dads, you decide what to eat for lunch and when.

And a Simple “Thank You”

Last but not least, have your kids say thank you and tell mom how much they love her. We are tired and are doing our best during a trying time, so a little appreciation would be appreciated. Let us know you see how hard we are working. It means more to us than you know.