Mom-Approved Mother’s Day Activities
There are zero things wrong with a kid-prepared breakfast in bed or an all-you-can-eat Mother’s Day brunch buffet. But if Mom has hinted that she would like a different kind of celebration this year, we are going to throw out a crazy idea: Ask her to be specific.
She will probably do that thing where she says, “whatever you want to do is fine,” because she’s a mom. Still, ask her. We checked with some of Hallmark’s most fabulous moms to find out what they would do if they could choose anything in the world for Mother’s Day, and the answers we got were pretty surprising.
Spoiler alert: Fun is more important than fancy. And family is most important of all.
With that, we present: Three Mom-Approved Mother’s Day Activities.
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Mom-Approved Idea: Outdoor-sy, Sport-sy Fun
Choose stuff you all love.
I’m recently divorced, and that’s changed up our holiday festivities across the board. But it’s also made us focus on what’s authentic, and I love that.
My son Ike is nine and a logical, smart kid who’s also a real sweetheart. And Millie, who’s seven, is creative and about the shmoopiest little girl you’ll ever meet. (She knew how to hug when she was a baby!)
These two disagree on a lot of things, but on Mother’s Day, the three of us managed to agree on something, and that something is Disc Golf.
We’re terrible at it, but it almost doesn’t matter. It’s more the throwing and the running and the being outside together that counts. After we give up on that, we head to a semi-schmancy meal wherein I basically let them eat whatever side dishes and rolls they want whilst I dine on pasta and even enjoy a glass of red wine.
It’s the perfect combo of time together and relaxation—both of the rules and of ourselves.
—Cat Hollyer
Mom-Approved Idea: Revel in the down time
Chill out Mom’s way.
On my fantasy Mother’s Day, I’d wake up just early enough to squeeze in a pre-church run.
After church, my husband and daughters, ages 14 and 10, would take me out for Mexican, because dream days call for the immediate gratification of chips and salsa.
Next we’d go home, put the to-do list on hold, and start a Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon. It’s a geeky old favorite that I love even more now that our girls are old enough to appreciate it, too. We’d press on through the new season…or at least until school-night bedtime. And there’d be pizza somewhere in there, because chilling out on this scale demands sustenance.
I know this sounds unimaginative, but it’s the kind of aimless relaxing I rarely get to do. I’m a forty-something mom in the thick of a very full family life. I cherish our shared downtime…and if it’s LOL-worthy downtime, even better.
—Keely Chace
Mom-Approved Idea: Show the kids how it’s done
Yeah, this one’s a birthday idea—but same concept.
This year, I chose to spend my birthday (hang on, I’ll get to it) at Silver Dollar City, a large amusement park a few hours away from home. Yep, my ideal way to ring in age 38 was to wait in lines and watch my kids fight over bits of funnel cake.
And it was awesome.
My eight year old rode a big roller coaster for the first time. She was so brave and so excited and so scared—and so proud of herself afterwards—that it almost brought me to tears.
All the feels in the middle of a crowd of fanny packs.
My six year old shrieked and giggled when a huge wave came over her head, drenching her, on a beloved water ride. And my girls sat sweetly together waiting and waving at my husband Kevin and me while I squeezed his hand and closed my eyes on a colossal ride that we love.
We ate junk and drank soda and smiled while the girls got their faces painted. We left at closing, well after dark, sweaty and smelling of old water-ride water (moms know that smell). And I felt loved and grateful, content and fulfilled.
It’s one of my favorite birthdays ever.
The point is, I’d do it again for Mother’s Day in a heartbeat. Or Arbor Day. Or Flag Day.
Because, for me, true happiness is found in family and funnel cakes.
—Amy
