Jack
I could have sworn it was just Valentine's day. But yes, less than one month ago it was, and now you're having to be all thoughtful and considerate again with only one pay day in between.
At the risk of sounding like Mr T, mothers are very important. Especially if they are the mother of your own children. Especially if you live with them. Especially if you mess this up you have to live with it for the next twelve months. I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Of course your wife won't resent you messing up mother's day for the next twelve months. It will be forever.
With your own mum, you should have a decent idea about what she likes. If not, the traditional triple threat of card, flowers, and chocolate will do the job. But I would gently encourage you to think outside the box a little bit. There are some superb craft kits out there on Etsy at the moment, or if she is a puzzle fan- an online escape room code. Or if your mum is still limber enough, an in-person escape room!
Just make sure to let her out again afterwards.
If your children are babies, it's easy as anything. Just get your wife or girlfriend something she likes, and maybe a novelty "World's Best Mum" mug. She'll have only been a mother for a short period of time, and so the fun of these kind of things won't have worn off yet.
Conversely, if your children are of the teenage persuasion, they are old enough to sort things out themselves. All you need to do is give them a gentle reminder about the date. Then another gentle reminder. Finally a third gentle reminder the day before, a lift to the shops, a small loan to buy the relevant thing plus card, half a dozen or so gentle reminders to write the card, a reminder where the sticky tape is to wrap the present, another quick pop to the shops for wrapping paper (also they need a lift to a friend's house tomorrow, they forgot to mention), and you're done! Easy!
The awkward age is around two to seven years old. This is when your child is aware that they should be doing something, and want to do something, but their actual capacity for doing aforesaid thing is pretty rubbish.
Annoyingly, you can't just tell them this. I mean, on a certain level they must surely know.
"Little jimmy, I can see you've worked hard on that drawing, but the perspective is awful, your choice of colour is uninspired, and Mummy doesn't have feathers.
Children don't really "get" empathy until about four or five. Or in the case of politicians, never. The fancy phrase is Theory of Mind, which is the idea that other people might experience things differently or have thoughts and emotions that are equally valid to one's own.
Or to put it in simple terms, this is why your three-year-old daughter can't get why Mummy wouldn't absolutely love a new Elsa doll. Also, I would like a new Elsa doll please, Daddy. Of course your children still love you, they just don't really think of you as properly human till they get into Reception.
With this in mind, younger children might need gently steering away from the toy aisle, and towards something Mummy might actually like herself.
A good tactic, is the alternative close. This is a sales tactic where a customer is presented with two options- "Do you want the manual or the automatic?" Note that 'Or not buy this car' is not given as an option. You can use this technique on a young child. Rather than offering a full Clinton's to pick from (and the ensuing argument about why a HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM THE PAW PATROL card is not acceptable) just pick out a couple of Mother's Day cards for them to choose a favourite. That way, you're getting them involved while still preserving your own sanity.
Getting your children involved in Mother's Day is important. She's their Mum, after all. And although she's not your Mum as well (obvious Norfolk jokes aside), she is still the Mum of the family. And it is a chance to show her how much you appreciate her and what she does for you all.
Experiences are always a good thing. Just make sure it's something she likes, and it's a thing for her. A family day out is a lot of fun, but it's not really a Mother's Day thing, is it? It might be tempting to try and organise something all together, but even if you manage to get everyone over to London for that exhibition she's been dying to see, a grumpy child can turn a treat into a chore. Here's what you can do- call one of her friends, and get her to go. Have a fun girl's day out that she can enjoy and remember.
Because, and I can't stress this enough, every mum's ideal Mother's Day gift is time away from the bloody husband and kids.
