by Carla Foote
 When we asked the thousands of moms of young children on the MOPS Facebook page what they wanted for Mother’s Day, not one of them mentioned a burnt-toast-breakfast-in-bed experience. Real moms of young children want a day without their kids! An added bonus would be someone to clean their house that is strewn with toys and sticky substances. This desire for refreshment and rest doesn’t mean that moms of young children don’t love their children or that they are bad moms for wanting to get away. What it means is that they realize that in order to be better moms, they need to take care of themselves.
Moms give whole-heartedly to keep their families washed, wiped, diapered, dressed, fed, read to, snuggled, tucked in, encouraged, safe and disciplined – over and over and over again, 365 days a year. So on the day dedicated to moms, what they really want is a day off, all the way off!
Here’s what a few moms said what they really want for Mother’s Day:
- Jenny – a day by myself where someone else takes my kids and a cleaning fairy comes and makes my house sparkle
- Melissa – a chance to read a book without noise or interruption in a warm, sunny location without feeling guilty that I should be doing something else
- Tika – a full 24 hours of no mommy duty
Moms need a break more than they need a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers, and moms who take care of themselves are better able to invest in their families. Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s actually healthy!
So moms – let’s take back Mother’s Day and make it into the kind of holiday moms of young children really need – a time for refreshment. And if you aren’t a mom, ask the moms in your life what they really want for Mother’s Day, the answer might surprise you!
Carla Foote has learned that the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day is to tell her family specifically what she wants. Carla is the Executive Editor of MOMSense magazine, distributed by MOPS International to over 90,000 mothers of preschoolers. Carla is also mom to a son and a daughter who are now adults. She knows that she was a better mom when she took time for self-care.
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