I remember one sunny, warm day when I was a kid rushing through the bank with my mom in a hurried pace to finish up her errands. As she was standing at the counter the bank teller quietly admired her jewelry. “That’s a really nice necklace you have there,” she said with a grin. My mom looked down quickly forgetting what she was wearing. “Oh this? Ha, ha. My daughter made this for me for Mother’s Day.” My mother forgot to take off the hand painted pendant either my sister or I made for her (I can’t remember which one of us). But, it didn’t phase her and she went back to writing on her piece of paper. “You’re a great mom to wear that out,” the bank teller offered. “Thanks. I don’t mind wearing it,” my mother returned.
Now it is my turn to enjoy handmade cards and gifts from my girls. Whether they get a little help from their teacher, or their daddy it doesn’t matter. I love every single gift they make. (I am truly a sucker for a tiny hand print!) My heart melts when I see them practically bursting with excitement in anticipation of my joy filled response to their gifts. I could care less about getting a spa day (although don’t take that completely off the table), or a dinner out at a restaurant. These gifts made by their tiny hands are the best gifts of all because they are made with love and given with pure generosity. Plus, there are only a limited number of hand made unique gifts I’ll get for Mother’s Day. One day when they are too busy to shop, they’ll just send a note with some flowers attached.
Luckily for my mom, she now gets more practical gifts; things she can use and enjoy. But, I still send her tiny hand prints and hand made cards with a little help from her grandchildren. The gift she still has hanging on her fridge is the one where I painted the girls’ feet and pressed onto paper. I wrote this poem over top:
Click here for FREE printable.
The poem I still enjoy was included on a craft sent home from my girls’ first nursery school. My girls were so little then, so of course I cried when I read it. I admit it still gets me a little teary now.
Click here for FREE printable.
I could not find a source, or author for either of these poems, but they are scattered all over the Internet on various blogs and Pinterest pages. You can easily copy these and print to include with your own gifts this year.
I know there are thousands of blogs right now offering a list of gifts that moms REALLY want for Mother’s Day. I can assure you the only gift any mother wants on Mother’s Day (or any day of the year) is to hear Thank You. And, maybe someone else to do the dishes for her.
What is your most cherished Mother’s Day gift given, or received?
The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again! You can also find her work featured on Mamapedia and The Novice Mommy.