Mother’s Day is around the corner in the UK and the cards and disposable gifts are all out in force.

I keep reading that you should treat your children to memorable life enhancing experiences rather than more and more environmental damaging toys; well how does that message translate to Mother’s Day? I’m still a Mother’s Day newbie as a recipient; this will be my third Mother’s Day as a mother. Do I need my husband to buy me a gift on behalf of my child? What I really want it to feel loved and appreciated and to have an enjoyable day. So what I want is time and effort, definitely not stuff. I think I have a ‘mum’ mug and a hanging love heart among other previous Mother’s Day gifts. And I feel that’s plenty to keep me going for the rest of my life. I don’t need a mug every year that’s for sure.

I’ve bought my mum the odd ‘mum’ cushion and probably a pretty teacup in my time too because I have always felt the need to buy something physical. But I am so environmentally aware now that even the cellophane on the card I’ve bought her agitates me this year. I’ve actually made my mum some artwork or rather I’m working on something. It uses a line from a favourite song and should be something she can put up in the house and treasure forever.

I don’t think my husband will be able to produce something similar for me though so I hope what we do is go out for the day, spend some quality time together, eat a delicious Sunday lunch and appreciate how incredibly lucky we are to be together. Not everyone is so lucky. Who knows what the future will bring. All we can do is appreciate whatever we have and be thankful and grateful in any given moment.

Mother’s Day feels like a day to stop and take the time to say ‘wow mum you do a lot for me, you’ve always done a lot for me, thank you’. Being a mum I can obviously understand what that means on a whole new level as I put a huge amount of love and effort and time, and a lot of myself into raising my son. I am so proud of myself too, maybe Mother’s Day is also a day for self reflection, self evaluation and self reward. Being kind to ourselves and each other as mums is really important because none of us is perfect but if you’re doing what you can then you’re doing a great job.

I feel like being that I’m writing now, wanting so desperately to be a children’s book author, that I should write something mothers and their children can read on Mother’s Day. Or something that father’s and children can buy for them! Every day could be Mother’s Day if you could sit and read a lovely celebratory book and feel loved and cherished and have fun together. Right, well I better go and get writing then.

Thanks for reading and I hope you can celebrate with your mother or child but if not, I wish you love and a day where you can focus on whatever it is you need to feel good and happy and content.

Have a great day,

Anna