I used to really complain about Mother’s Day. In fact, I used to feel very sorry for myself every time it rolled around. Just about every Mother’s Day my husband gets stuck working and so I don’t get spoiled like it seems everyone else does. I don’t get breakfast in bed, flowers waiting for me or help with the chores. It usually ends up being a typical day for me.
I would love to say that my children jump right in there and make up for it. But they don’t. So one year I decided that I needed to let go of my expectations. I had to stop expecting my family to do the things that I would like done. I was always expecting them to read my mind and know what I would like. No more disappointing Mother’s Days for me.
Last year I asked my children to write me a poem. They wouldn’t have done it on their own. Well, I take that back. My daughter is very thoughtful every Mother’s Day. It’s the boys who have a little more trouble. So they each wrote me a very sweet poem. In fact, my oldest who was 15, surprised me with how he felt about me as a mom. You see, it was there within him. He just needed some nudging to get it out.
This year I once again realized that I couldn’t expect my children to know what I would like. So when we got home from church I gave them each a job to do. One took care of laundry; another did the dishes and so on.
I also wanted to get some alone time with each one. With my 11 and almost 13-year-old, that happens frequently. With my 16-year-old son, it happens less frequently. He is usually confined to the walls of his bedroom, or what we like to call “the cave,” so I told him that all I wanted from him for Mother’s Day was to watch a movie with me. He agreed.
Of course, I knew better than to make sure I had an appropriate movie to watch with him. I couldn’t expect him to sit through something like “Pride and Prejudice” after all. He is very into the military, wars and that sort of thing. In fact, more than likely he will end up joining the Air Force. So a while back I had recorded “We Were Soldiers,” keeping it saved for such a time as this.
You might not think watching a movie was very interactive but it actually turned out to be. The movie was paused several times as I asked questions or my son added more information to something that happened. He is definitely a history buff and so he was able to shed light on some things. It was very enjoyable.
In the end I had a very nice Mother’s Day. Teenagers may not always know the right thing to do or how to make mom feel special on Mother’s Day. They might need a little help but that’s okay. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself or mad at your family, let them know what you would like. They will probably breathe a sigh of relief that they don’t have to figure something out on their own and you won’t have another disappointing Mother’s Day.
Related Articles:
Don’t Take Teen Attitudes Personally