Mother’s Day Matters: A Tale of Labour, Love, and Mental Load

The thing about Mother’s Day is that it isn’t just about ticking a box on the calendar as you do with Halloween or some mate’s birthday.

Mother’s Day is for recognising your mum’s infallible love for you and the absolute grind she puts in to keep your family happy, even during the tough stuff.

There’s a great deal of nuance to this, of course. You might not see your mum often, rarely see eye to eye, or be the best of friends and inseparable. 

And yet, this is mum, and no matter your relationship, Mother’s Day matters more to her than you think. It’s a date worth planning for and making the most of.

Just another commercial holiday? Not necessarily. There are several important reasons why it is worth celebrating Mother's Day and organizing something special for her.

Mothers are irreplaceable, and their contribution deserves recognition and attention. Mothers are the pillar of the family - they are often the ones who keep the family together and are often the only ones who can provide a sense of stability. It's worth showing them the love and respect they deserve.

Mums often take care of everything - they organize birthday parties for others, take care of the timely cake delivery and buying amazing gifts for close and extended family. Celebrating Mother's Day is the best way to teach children respect and gratitude - it shows how important it is to remember others and repay the care received on their special days. Mother's Day is a day children can take initiative in the planning & executing their great ideas.

Mother's Day is also an opportunity to spend time together - it's a time when we can gather, talk, have a nice time together, collect memories and photos for the family album. This is a great opportunity to strengthen family bonds - celebrating Mother's Day is a time when we can get closer to our family and remember how important the relationships between us are. 

Think about you, a lot. It probably takes up one moment in every hour of her day. She has you in her bones, see. There’s time between you that no inanimate relationship is capable of replicating. That’s what makes mums special.

There’s also something else that often goes unnoticed – the invisible mental work, known as the mental load. It’s not just about doing tasks, but constantly thinking about them: remembering dates, planning meals (and first, getting groceries for those meals), keeping track of details, anticipating what might happen and how to handle it. It’s work that never really stops – even when everything seems “under control”.

Mother’s Day is a moment for reflection. Not just to say “thank you”, but to truly recognise how much of this invisible work your mum carries every single day.

It’s also a chance to ask yourself: what can I take off her mind – not just today, but every day?

It could be taking over responsibilities without asking. Planning something from start to finish. Remembering important dates instead of relying on her. Or simply giving her space where she doesn’t have to think, organise, or manage anything.

Because sometimes the best gift isn’t flowers or presents. Sometimes it’s relief – even if just for a moment.

Let’s be logical and imagine that you’re mum. For the whole month leading up to Mother’s Day, you see reminders about it. You don’t expect the world on the day, but you imagine that it’s something you’ll get to experience.

Now imagine it doesn’t happen. Imagine the disappointment. To save yourself from the epic failure of the year, it just makes sense to have a plan for it.

It makes sense to make mum happy and keep you in the good books.

 

Some really easy options:

• Buy Mother’s Day flowers to arrive on the day or before Mother’s Day.

• Cook her a meal; invite her over, or head to hers. Whichever kitchen works best.

• Book a restaurant for the day. Word of caution, though - you should anticipate it being very busy and book ahead, ideally by weeks.

• Book time away. A hot tub lodge, a B&B by the coast, even a day out at your nearest National Park (provided the weather’s decent, have a backup plan).

Forget the point above about disappointment. Think about recognition. Your mum does so much, so much of which isn’t ever noticed.

Mother’s Day is a day worth taking. Deep down, there will be some desire to receive flowers or something else that makes a memory, and you can provide that.

Your mum also has or had a mum, just as your grandma did. The occasion goes way back, and there’s a certain amount of sentimentality that you shouldn’t miss.

 

Let’s recap some memories that’ll flood through your mum’s head on the day:

• Giving birth to, adopting, or fostering you

• Every birthday party she threw for you

• All the other Mother’s Day cards you’ve given her before

• All the Mother’s Day shenanigans she had with her own mum

Those are only off the top of our heads. There’s plenty of bits between. Giving on Mother’s Day brings those memories together in one positive moment.

Not everyone can do much for Mother’s Day. No shame in that. A card will do, send it by post or give it in person. Just try to avoid e-cards; they don’t have the same sentimentality.

Alternatively, send flowers with a greeting note; you could even add chocolates or a vase to your order with Euroflorist. Consider same-day flowers if you’ve left it late. And even if you are late, if you’re sending by post, your mum will forgive it.

In any case, the rule is simple for Mother’s Day: do not forget it. It matters to your mum. Her labour and mental load deserve your love on the day.