My husband has never been out to sea on Father's Day. Somehow the guy misses Mother's Day every other year, I swear. When this happens, I figure I've got two choices: 1) beat my head on a rock. Or, 2) I can set up my own Mother's Day and rock it all I want.
Here are a few suggestions I've tried. What do you plan to do with your Mother's Day Alone?
How To Celebrate Mother's Day Alone
Don't ignore the day. It's tempting to think that you can be all grown up about this and be happy with a card. Nope. Whether you regularly attend church or IHOP on Sunday mornings, you will be surrounded by flocks of mothers and their loving families. If you ignore the day, the temptation to compare what you got with what they got will be overwhelming. Best make a plan.
Tell your husband what you want. I know you want him to KNOW what you want without being told. Good luck with that ... If your husband is overseas, he is dreading the words "Mother's Day." This is mostly because he does not know what to do about it. It ain't like they've got a CVS on every corner over there. Give the guy a break and just tell him this year.
Babies suck at Mother's Day. It's pretty ironic, but the most intense Mother's Days you get are the early ones. Sadly, the person sucking you dry does not know how to hold a crayon well enough to make a card. If you are celebrating alone with a baby or toddler this is a good year to make an exception and buy your own gift. As in, "Babygirl! How did you know mommy wanted this bird-shaped door knocker on sale at Anthropologie! What a smartie you are!!!!"
Enlist an ally. Most moms in our poll thought that kids should be responsible for planning something for Mother's Day. And that's a good thing. Your older kids really do love you and they want to make good on Mother's Day. The problem is that kids do not have Outlook. They do not have their cell phones set with beeping alarms reminding them that Mother's Day is coming up and they better get their act together. Ask your mom/neighbor/friend to ask the kids if they have a plan yet. As in, "How about you take mommy to Friendly's for a Reeses Pieces Sundae. She will love that!"
Plant something. My grandmother used to say that you should wait until Mother's Day to plant seeds in the ground. Mid-May is the earliest time in many places in which the earth is warm enough to start seeds and tender plants. Last year for Mother's Day, my high schooler built me two raised garden beds and a little fence. Spending the day planting up those beds with seeds and hope makes a great project to share with kids -- and burns up that long Mother's Day afternoon.
Celebrate your motherhood. I always wanted to have babies of my own and I feel lucky that these three particular babies belong to me. Mother's Day Alone is a great time to dig out the scrapbooks and look back on the days you became a mom. If you have more than one child, you became a different mom every time a kid was born. The list of things you have learned and you are learning about being a mom and all that entails is huge. You are making real progress. And that is something to celebrate.
