What Mommy Really Wants for Mother’s Day

Dads, listen up. I’m here to let you in on a secret about what the mom in your life really wants for Mother’s Day. Yes, you may think you have it all figured out – but I’m here to tell you that you’re probably wrong. Breakfast in bed is wonderful in theory, but guess who usually ends up doing the dishes and washing the bedding when something inevitably spills? Homemade crafts are great too, but that mess that stems from it? Mom’s problem, most likely.

In my few short years as a mom, two Mother’s Days really stick out. My first year celebrating the holiday, I told my husband that all I wanted, in this specific order, was to

1. Sleep in

2. Eat brunch at Doo-Dah Diner

He hit the nail on the head getting reservations and childcare lined up for our feast, but he made the reservation for 8 am. Yes, 8 am. Meaning I had to wake up before 5 to be able to pump, feed the babies, get them and myself ready and packed up (why do babies have so much stuff?!), pump again, and get the kids across town to his sister’s house so we could eat in peace. There was no meal in the world worth waking up for at 5 am when my main desire as a new mom of twins was copious amounts of sleep.

The following year, he totally hit it out of the park. I woke up to my favorite coffee to-go, accompanied with orders to leave the house before the tiny humans woke up. It was a dream come true. I took myself out to breakfast, where I ate my meal in its entirety while it was still warm, and spent the morning doing whatever I wanted. When I returned home, it was like I had been filled with a breath of fresh air. You see, I’m an introvert at heart. Alone time is how I ‘fill my tank’ so I can be the best possible version of myself for those around me. You can’t pour from an empty well, folks, and moms are not immune to that. I was able to spend the rest of the day happy and calm, truly enjoying the time spent with the people I love most. The icing on the cake was getting takeout for dinner, so there was no mess to clean up afterwards!

Note that nothing about those days involved tangible gifts. Mother’s Day doesn’t have to break the bank! A few hours of time to be spent however she wants is monumental and can fit into anyone’s budget. Wanting to keep costs low? Have her grab a pastry and wander through the aisles of Target or a local walking path solo. Budget a little bigger? Set up an appointment for a soothing massage or spa day for the ultimate rejuvenation. And dads – mom doesn’t want a massage from you, so don’t even try that. Last time I got an at-home massage as a “gift,” our daughters entered the world eight months later, so, hard pass on that one. Leave it to the professionals to take care of the back and shoulders that ache from carrying around the kids.

Moms, what would you consider your perfect Mother’s Day?

Courtney Pope
Courtney is a hometown girl who never planned on staying in Kansas or even having a family of her own, and now resides in Andover with her college sweetheart Zack (m. 2012), their twin daughters Ella and Emily (b. 2016), and their dogs Lady and Roscoe. She is a bank auditor for her 'day job,' and when she isn't chasing her toddlers or failing to conquer the never-ending piles of laundry and dishes, she enjoys going on dates with her husband, experiencing old favorites and new adventures through the eyes of her kids, iced coffee and hot tea, and devouring audiobooks and podcasts (savoring the rare paper book when time allows).