Newsflash: Mother’s Day is supposed to be a celebration of us moms, but it is often just as exhausting, busy, and responsibility-laden as any other Sunday. There is pressure to make it OH-SO-SPECIAL for all the moms in our lives, and we know better than anyone that we’re usually the default special-makers in the home. How is that fair? Let’s do ourselves a favor and make this year the one that we decide to get rightfully selfish enough to have a holiday that gives us what we deserve. That means we will need to put our foot down with a list of demands, both for others and ourselves. Here is a great starter checklist for exactly that.
1. Make Mother’s Day your day, and set aside other days to go celebrate your moms.
2. Duck if your moms throw guilt trips your way, trying to make you feel bad about needing one day a year that’s actually about you and your motherhood. If any guilt hits you, let that slop slide right off with a smile and, “So does Thursday work for you?”
3. Sleep in. Sure, your kids will be excited to make you breakfast, but that likely includes waking you up early due to their impatience (or smoke alarms). Lay down the law about not making a peep until you are ready.
4. Order yourself a treat online before leaving the bed, like a new book or fun tee or part for the vintage car you’ve been repairing.
5. Longest. Uninterrupted. Shower. Ever.
6. Leave and do something that’s 100% for you. That might mean you need to ditch the fam and hook up with your mom friends to make it genuinely enjoyable. Go linger in a book store, rock climbing gym, vinyl record shop, that new 3D movie theater showing the latest superhero film, nail salon, or whatever it is you love, and do it without anyone who will give you “Are you done yet?” eyes.
7. Spend the whole day in your pajamas on the couch with your family as your servants.
8. Decide what you want to do for brunch/lunch/dinner, and tell your family to make it happen on your terms. Want to go out? You choose how far, formal, and who is to be there. Want to avoid restaurants on such a busy dining-out day? That’s your call, mama.
9. Or maybe you want to go out to eat, but not with the kids in tow. There are babysitters for that! Get one, then go enjoy a quiet meal before coming back home to them.
10. Leave a list of chores that everyone else can do in lieu of you that day, and don’t chip in, not even a little.
11. Take a nappuccino: when you get sleepy in the early afternoon, drink a cup of coffee (you can even make it something fun and fancy), then immediately lie down to sleep. The coffee will help wake you up in about 45 minutes, making sure you’re rested but not groggy.
12. Bake yourself some cupcakes (or have the best baker in the house do it for you).
13. Binge watch your favorite show, even if it’s not of interest to your spouse or too adult for your kids.
14. Speaking of “too adult,” invite your partner to a little wink-wink time, but make sure your pleasure is the main focus during the romp. Speak up, guide, and enjoy!
15. Don’t reply to every single email and text wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day that day. Heck don’t look at your phone at all. You can get to it tomorrow.
16. Send those kids off to bed earlier than usual.
17. Enjoy another one of those cupcakes you ate earlier.
18. Send yourself off to bed earlier than usual.
19. Fall asleep knowing that you are an incredible, beautiful, valued person who deserves to be selfish every now and again.
