Did you Ditch the Clichs this Mothers Day

Did you Ditch the Clichs this Mother's Day Jill and Polly in the Bathroom, 1987 (Courtesy of Tina Barney) Mother’s Day can be one of the most stressful days of the year. Why, you might ask? Mothers everywhere have a trick up their sleeve. Not to say they’re purposefully being sneaky or conniving but, realistically, mothers give up so much for their children. They say they don’t want anything: No, please do not get me anything for Mother’s Day. I don’t need it. I don’t want you spending money on me. Let’s just say my mother did not move from her new foot massager for a good two hours after opening it. I didn’t hear any complaints. Alongside the gift situation and the cards smeared with wet ink from being written in a dangerously close proximity to the time the card was delivered, how do you spice up Mother’s Day? Our mothers do so much for usâ€"sometimes too much for us. They deserve at least a day of fun! Ditch the clichésâ€"How many years in a row can you go out for a Mother’s Day brunch before you eventually regurgitate the same brunch you’ve been having for the last 19 years? Hit the Roadâ€"This year, my family hopped in the car after Mother was forcibly removed from the foot massager, and headed up to Wisconsin. No, we had no direct plans or directions for the matter. Yes, we were lost and wandering in a farm town for a good two hours. But we had nowhere to be and we eventually made an adventure out of it. When we eventually found a lake and a city, we watched the waves as we ate lunch. By that time, my father’s lack of direction had far surpassed the acceptable brunch-eating time. Break up the Big Groupâ€"Coming from a big family, I know this may sound like a family suicide. But even when you spent time with your extended family in the morning and just with your immediate family at night, make sure your mother can have her diva moment, the moment where it’s truly all about her, not all your aunts, grandmothers, or cousins. Spending time with the entire family is always a treat. But your mother did not give a birth to your grandmother or your aunts. So make sure she is getting that one-on-one time that the diva may desire. Go in on a Big Giftâ€"No matter how many different last minute necklaces my brother buys Mom from Walgreens every year, she’s really never going to be able to pull off that butterfly in public. Instead of small presents that Mother may or may not get the use out ofâ€"although she will pretend to love itâ€"splurge on a big item with the rest of your family. This years was a foot massager from Brookstone. And I saw zero fake smiles.