My Top 10 Mother’s Day Wishes (Hint: No Brunch)

Let's get this out there right away: if you are a mom who LOVES a Mother's Day brunch with your entire extended family, you will not like this post.

Before I had kids, Mother's Day for me went like this: I found a fittingly mediocre card to pay respect to my mom who I - as an only child raised by a single mom - was, and still is, very close to. We usually made the "DAY" an excuse to go see a movie or plan a night out. We rarely hit the more family friendly brunches at restaurants, and when we did, we gazed in sympathy at the mom (and grandma) at the centre of some maelstrom of family togetherness. After all, who had gotten all the children gussied up in their Sunday best for this special meal? Who had managed to not only get herself dressed up and presentable, but dressed and packed enough snacks, toys and diapers to keep everyone happy for more than five minutes? This brunch was supposed to be special for whom? My mom and I would look at each other and say, "Not our idea of fun." Then we'd sit back and sip our mimosas smugly.

When I started my own family, I could tell my mom could not WAIT until my first Mother's Day as a mom. She felt certain my childless sneering past would come back and bite me. I am proud to say that I have so far avoided the whole big celebratory brunch deal so far. However, I have, in respect of my own mom, and her need for "tradition" planned a few brunches with one kid in tow, usually the youngest. I even pushed it up a notch last year and took my mom and my oldest daughter to a formal tea at the Museum of Vancouver. It was very genteel and a lot of fun.

It was fun because my daughter doesn't wear diapers, didn't need to be chased around, and enjoyed the idea of dressing up for "tea." Unlike a typical dinner for most moms with kids in which you barely get to eat your own food (since you're too busy making sure you children don't destroy the table and themselves), I was able to relax and enjoy my tea and crumpets. To me, THAT is what Mother's Day should be all about, and Father's Day for that matter, but that is another post.

Don't get me wrong. I love my kids, totally adore being a mother, but I spend every waking hour with at least one of them. If Mother's Day is supposed to be a thank-you day to all moms, would we not also want them to NOT have to do all the things you want to thank them for?  Here are a few items I would like for this up-and-coming day:

1. To go to the bathroom alone. (I grow weary of conversations while I am either in the loo or in the shower.)
2. To drink my coffee while it is still hot. (Microwaved coffee just isn't the same.)
3. To not have to get up 30 seconds after I sat down because SOMEONE asked me for something.
4. To not smell poop. (Really. I can't take it much longer.)
5. To not be the first one up.
6. To not sort ANY laundry.
7. To not hear ANY fighting over the iPad.
8. To see my BFF and have an uninterrupted conversation with her ... and perhaps drink wine!
9. To read a book for more than 3 minutes.
10. To have time and quiet to think about why I love my family without any of them ruining it by saying something.

Those are my top ten Mother's Day requests. Honestly, though, they would work for any day!  

Kerry Sauriol is the Vancouver mom behind the blog, Crunchy Carpets. She has three children and sundry pets, and tries to balance it all while keeping her sanity. Her blog focuses on the juggling act called parenting - in her case, the act of juggling a preschooler, two burgeoning "tweens" and keeping everyone out of therapy when they're older.