Dear Teens and Young Adults,
So, I don’t want you all to think I’m just blowing smoke, but I have to start off by saying what a creative and resourceful bunch you are. All of us parents have witnessed the innovative ways you are dealing with how your lives have drastically been altered in the past few months.
It’s time to harness all that creativity and use it to get rid of your Mom.
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Yes, you read that right. The woman needs a trip as desperately as you want to go hang out with your squad, and you have the ability to send her on a virtual one this Mother’s Day. HEADS UP: Mother’s Day is May 10th!
While some Moms may be loving every minute of this bonus family time we’ve been recently blessed with, I think I speak for more than a few of us when I reveal that we really just want to escape someplace alone for several hours. If you suspect that your Mom feels the same, and she doesn’t seem excited about a Mother’s Day at home, here are some ideas for you to consider.
Five Virtual Places to Send Your Mom This Year
1. Her favorite coffee shop
Set your Mom up in a comfy spot by herself. Find some “Coffee Shop Background Noise” online and set it to play for a few hours. If you can find a coffee fragranced candle to have burning, bonus points for you. Brew, ice, or blend up her favorite caffeinated beverage. (Check Pinterest for great copy-cat recipes.) Hand her a few magazines or a long novel, or set her up to chat with a friend that you’ve contacted in advance. Leave her alone for as long as you can, except to return occasionally to hand her a sweet nibble or a re-fill on her drink.
2. A day spa
Got a Mom who loves personal pampering? It’s easy to create a spa experience in your own house. Options include preparing a bubble bath for her, giving her a foot massage with some great smelling lotion, or a DIY pedicure. If she’s been neglecting some self-care tasks lately, offer to shampoo and style her hair. After a good scalp massage, she will love whatever hair style you give her. (Just remember to wash out the sink meticulously before you ask her to lean her head into it.)
To kick it up a notch, while she’s enjoying a bath or long shower, lay out one of her favorite outfits—real clothes with shoes, accessories, and jewelry. Trust me when I say she’s beyond sick of leggings, sweats, and t-shirts. Offer to do her make-up, and then maybe take a few glamour shots. Send them to immediate family only or make her a social media star. #glamMom2020
3. Wine or food tasting
Create a winery or foodie experience in your backyard, on your front porch, at a table in your living room, or basically any room that is NOT YOUR KITCHEN. In fact, if you can arrange it so that your Mom does not see, smell, nor hear anything kitchen-related on Mother’s Day this year, it will probably go down as one of her favorites ever.
If creating a wine tasting experience and you are underage, have a trusted adult purchase a couple bottles of wine for you to pour for your Mom’s tastings. Research the wine types so you can discuss the varietals with her and be sure to have some tasty bites she can snack on as well—think nuts, olives, bread and olive oil. But PLEASE do not ask HER to bake the bread! If you’re going for a bakery or appetizers vibe, make some fancy versions of her favorites and get creative with your presentations. And for the love of all that is good in the universe, clean up after yourself as if Martha Stewart were coming to inspect your kitchen afterwards.
4. Her dream adventure
Think about where your Mom would instantly transport herself if she could—whether it be a tropical beach, a hike up to Machu Picchu, a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, a safari in Botswana, or Disneyland. The entire world is literally at your fingertips. Google like mad and find music, virtual tours, food ideas, fun facts, and insider information. You can be her tour guide, her chef, or simply her concierge handing her a packet with many links to pictures and videos and music. Any attempts at exotic cuisine will be welcomed if you follow the Martha rule above!
5. A trip back in time
We’ve seen the spirit of solidarity and felt the collective sadness as so many milestone events have had to be cancelled this year. It’s made many of us parents think back to our own experiences and how special those times were. See if you can dig up your mom’s high school or college yearbook or scrapbook. Make a playlist of all her favorite artists from back in the day. Create a Life magazine of sorts, with trivia and pictures of all the “Best of” lists from her high school, college, or pre-children days. Extra points for setting up a Zoom meeting with some of her BFFs from those days.
Whether it’s an entire day off on a virtual adventure or just a couple of hours, whatever you can do to give your Mom a mental getaway from reality would be a delightful treat. Be sure to include a handwritten and heartfelt thank you note for everything that she’s done for you and your family this year.
And, even in our new normal, Moms will always appreciate a hug-filled day where everyone helps out and no one bickers.
