Mothers. They’re the women who gave us life and so much more. So often, we take them for granted and forget to celebrate them in their own right. What better occasion than Mother’s Day to tell them what they mean to us?
Here, we worked with top Life Coach Carole Ann Rice, and she suggests 5 things you want your mother to know this Mother’s Day.
1. ‘I love you’
If you can’t remember the last time you told your mum you loved her, it’s been too long. It can be easy to think that this sentiment is just known, and we don’t need to acknowledge it, but saying the words out loud will reconnect you with one another and make your mother’s heart soar, especially if you never tell her.
2. ‘I appreciate you’
Motherhood is a joyous but full on role. Amidst the love and happiness, there is also a lot of duty, mess, drudgery and selflessness. As a child it’s not our job to know how ‘hard’ it can be but as we grow older, and especially when we become mothers ourselves, we can have the insight to recognise what our mothers did for us, then and now. Telling your mum you understand and appreciate her is worth more than a million tulips.
3. ‘I admire you’
As our mothers get older and enter the phase of their lives where they perceive they are needed less, they can sometimes feel a bit lost and purposeful, especially if you, their child, is successful and completely self-sufficient. Against you, their achievements – past and present – may feel small, even if this is far from the truth. Hearing that someone admires you is always an amazing feeling, so identify some things you love about your mum, some things that inspire you about her and share these with her. Don’t assume she knows because she probably doesn’t!
4. ‘I’m sorry’
We all take our mothers for granted, at times. Whilst it’s only natural, we should make a conscious effort to make up for it. That time you were busy and didn’t have time to take her call and chat. That time you were late and were rude towards her. The list goes on. Saying the words, ‘I’m sorry,’ is all our mothers ever need to hear, even though they’ve already long forgiven us.
5. ‘What can I do for you?’
The mother-child relationship can be heavily weighted in terms of the child; what the child needs and wants they get. As we become fully functioning adults, however, there is room for this to evolve. Instead of taking we can give, for a change, and ask our mothers, ‘What can I do for you?’
