The many tasks a mother tends to each day can often leave her too exhausted to take time for her self care. Special occasions are the perfect time for loved ones to demonstrate their appreciation for mom's contributions to the family. Here are a few gift ideas for families to consider that can encourage mom to take time out for herself.
The Gift of Time
One of the greatest challenges for mothers of younger children is balancing the needs of her family with her own needs. When there is simply not enough time in the day to tend to every task, mothers often sacrifice their own time and needs to get things done. One of the best gifts for the self sacrificing mother is the gift of time.
The following are some ways loved ones can give the gift of time to a busy mom.
- Give mom some time by herself. An uninterrupted hour is plenty for a warm soak in the tub for the mom who never gets the chance.
- Older children, friends or extended family could agree to watch younger children so mom can have some time alone with her partner. Moms of young children often don't get time with their partner because it is usually that partner who ends up watching the children when she has to go out.
- For busy moms of several children it would be a rare gift to have one on one time with each of her children. Loved ones can offer to watch the remaining children for an hour per each outing, or they could collaborate with other responsible older family members and have each gift an hour of their time to watch one child, free of charge, with no strings attached.
Simplify Mom's Life
Most mothers will welcome the opportunity to have some or all of her daily chores relieved even if only for part of a day. Loved ones can simplify a mom's life by taking over as much of her responsibility as possible for a day. If it is not possible to take over all her tasks, loved ones can offer to do one of the following:
- Take over mom's most unappealing, difficult, or time consuming tasks for a day or even an entire week.
- Enlist a group of family or friends and have each person take on one or two tasks.
- Cook one or more meals for the day, offer to take the family out for a meal or orchestrate take-out for supper.
Add to Mom's Wish List
Many moms have a wish list which generally consists of items they feels guilty getting for themselves. Loved ones can ask the mom if she has such a list. If she does, they can choose a gift idea from her list. If she does not, loved ones can encourage her to spend some time making one and then choose from her new gift list.
For the mom who refuses to create or share her wish list, loved ones can look for clues around the home where mom spends her rare relaxation time. The following are some suggestions for loved ones who are left to figure out for themselves what mom's wish list might include.
- Look for trends or collections of self care items that are in mom's relaxation area. Examples might include candles, table top water fountains, a specific type of ornament or soft decorator pillows.
- Look for evidence of her passions. Chocolate wrappers could indicate a passion for chocolate, book receipts or boxes from Amazon could suggest a passion for books or stationary. Bits of yarn or scraps of scrapbooking paper strewn about might indicate a love of crafts.
- If loved ones are unsure of what specific items to get they can consider getting a gift certificate for a place that caters to her hobbies, such as a book store, coffee shop, outdoor adventure store or home decorating shop.
Ease Mom's Guilt
Many women feel guilty about doing something special for themselves even if they know on a cognitive level that it is okay. Reassure mom that it is okay to take some time away from the children or that the house will not fall apart if she takes a day off from folding laundry or cooking, and then allow her some self care time.
Do the Job Thoroughly
If the offer is to cook supper, loved ones should not just cook it and leave every pan in the house for mom to wash the next day. Include washing the cookware and utensils used for that meal as part of the gift. For an extra bonus the gift could include washing any previously dirtied dishes and the cooking area as well.
If the offer is to give mom a day off from chores, the gift giver should be committed to actually taking over those chores so the work doesn't pile up while mom takes her break. The day off is not worth it for mom if the consequence is twice as many chores to do the following day.
Loved ones can celebrate the mothers in their lives by giving them time off from their responsibilities and more time to focus on themselves and their family relationships. Taking over some tasks in order to help make their lives more simple, and taking time to notice their interests are just a few of many great ways for loved ones to celebrate all that moms do for their families.
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