Mother’s Day: Is It a Major Pain in the Ass For You or a Fun Day?

Once upon a time when I was a CHILD, Mother’s Day was cool. Because I went to the stall at school with my five dollars and picked out a mug. Or some cheap and nasty chocolates. Or a pretty bar of soap. And I wrapped my gift and lugged it into the bedroom along with some burnt toast and a badly made cup of cold coffee and presented it to my soon to be delighted mum. And then we usually had pizza for dinner so she didn’t have to cook that day. I assumed she had a fabulous day.

Now this is what the lead-up to Mother’s Day looks like:

Me: I’ve booked the restaurant for mum at 12pm so we can pick her up about 11.45.

Husband: OK, what should we get my mum? Can you buy something for her that she’d like? And I told her we’d probably turn up around 3 so we have to be out of the restaurant by 2.

Me: OK, that should work I guess. Lana wants to drop by here at 9am on Sunday because they are going to take Dan’s mum out to lunch too.

Husband: What time is James getting here?

Me: I’m not sure because they’re taking Danni’s mum out to dinner.

Husband: What about Chris and Cassie?

Me: I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything from them yet which is not surprising after what happened last year…

Last year my eldest daughter-in-law created a group message on Facebook to organise HER mother’s day for all and sundry. She wanted to book a restaurant for lunch (just one week prior to the big day) and invited her mother, her sister, her brother-in-law, her brother-in-law’s sister and her husband and his mother and us to kill ALL the birds with one stone.

I was like, seriously? I don’t even know half those people, you’re just trying to get out of a few visits! Plus I was doing this 30 day fast thing and wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol (which I would have needed a lot of) or eat anything high calorie. I graciously declined but she got really angry with me and said “don’t you want to spend the day with your son?” I’m like, the day? Are you kidding? I can’t spend the whole day with anyone (and privately thinking and I’m not sure why you would think I would want to spend “my” day with all your family anyway).

As it turned out all the restaurants were booked out (naturally) and it turned into a BBQ at her sister’s house with all guests required to bring a dish! Yeah, nah.

How the hell is any of that fun or relaxing? I can only imagine what it’s going to be like in a few years when our kids have kids of their own and they are having breakfast in their beds with their kids before having to see their mothers and their mother-in-laws fitting around us with our mothers and our mother-in-laws!

Is Mother’s Day fun and relaxing for mothers? I say a big, fat no.