Hey dads! This Sunday is Mother’s Day. We don’t have the typical reminders this year. The kids aren’t coming home with fun activities they did at school. The church isn’t serving her chocolate on her way out of the building like we did last year.
So, it’s all on you. Consider yourselves warned.
In our house, this weekend takes on extra importance. It’s also my wife’s birthday. Years ago, she made it clear that combined birthday/Mother’s Day celebrations aren’t acceptable, so I better bring my A game.
Since we’re all in this together, here are a few helpful, but simple things you can do to make the weekend special.
1. Come up and get the family picture taken.
You know how we’re always doing those photo stations in the lobby of the church on Mother’s Day and Easter? I know the idea of wrestling the kids down and getting them to smile by threatening them in public gives you heartburn. Good news! We’ve still got it!
This week, Christ Fellowship has put out a photo station just outside the main doors of the McKinney campus. Let’s face the music. It means the world to her, so bust out your non-stretchy pants, come up with your most creative threats or bribes for the kids, and grab that picture for her! The photo station is already installed so you can even do it right now.
2. Have the kids make something for her.
It’s so easy to forget this, but it means so much to our wives. There are a lot of creative ideas you can look up on Pinterest. But to make things a little easier, the Promiseland team at Christ Fellowship has put together some awesome craft packets that you can pick up this week. On May 6-7, 12-2 pm, you can simply drive up to the McKinney campus, grab the materials and instructions, and bring them home. If you want more information, click here.
3. Make sure she rests.
This is really important right now. As if trying to balance work, school, and regular kids activities wasn’t hard enough, it feels like all of the boundaries between these areas of life have been blurred by the quarantine. She is likely bearing the brunt of this more than you are.
In our home, we have a tradition of giving each other the entire weekend off on our birthdays, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. From Friday evening until Monday morning, the other person is free from diaper changing, bath time, clean ups, and all the other maintenance of normal parenting.
Give her a chance to rest. Let her enjoy the kids, if she wants to be around them. At the same time, give her space and freedom to enjoy guilt-free time alone, even if that means locking herself in the bedroom and watching Hallmark movies while she pretends the rest of you don’t exist.
4. Get the kids out of the house.
To help facilitate #3, it might help to get away with the kids. Since you can’t go anywhere, load them up in the car and go for a drive. Lately, our family has been taking nightly drives around town. On Sundays, we grab dinner along the way and explore some new area we’ve never seen before. One weekend, we ended up in Oklahoma!
If she wants that time alone, give her the gift of a silent house and use that time to create some fun memories of your own with the kids. (For added bonding benefit, I would also suggest a rule of no devices in the car.)
5. Have your kids fill out this questionnaire and record their answers.
Your kids have probably come home from school with these before. Print out this questionnaire and ask the kids to give their answers. Write down the first things they say and give them to mom on Mother’s Day morning. It will be something simple and fun she can look back on through the years. Click here to download it now.
6. Three words, my friends: Breakfast in bed.
Don’t make it difficult or elaborate, unless you just want to make something. I will personally pick up some donuts and bring them home. (I don’t want to put her through the agony of eating something I cooked.) Duino Coffee in McKinney is even offering Breakfast in Bed kits that you can purchase in advance!
7. Help her understand the impact she’s making.
Bottom line, we all want to know that we’re making a difference. We want to know our efforts are resulting in something good. No matter what you do to make Mother’s Day special, make sure she knows that her hard work, creativity, care, and intentionality is producing God’s character in your children. Stop and thank her (and encourage the kids to do the same).
BONUS: Don’t forget your own mom!
A special note about this Mother’s Day: If your parents don’t live nearby, this could be the first time in a while that your mom isn’t seeing you in person for Mother’s Day. Don’t forget to put the same effort into showing her your love and appreciation as you do with your own wife. Don’t forget to call, FaceTime, have flowers delivered, and/or send her a gift.
Good luck friends!
