Let's face it, Mother's Day, like many things, is going to be different this year.

Kids can still make all sorts of beautiful handmade creations for mom, like they usually would in school, but chances are that their mom's now the art teacher-- and probably also the one who has to clean up said art project! So creating a huge, vacuum-clogging, glittery mess may not be the best way to "show mom you care."

Most moms I know are wearing so many hats at the moment. They're handling distance learning, working from home or working on the front lines, taking care of a house that everyone is stuck in now for what feels like 24/7. They're cleaning mess after mess after mess while cooking meal after meal after meal.

And let's not forget about the emotional and mental stress most moms are under from worry; worry about keeping their family and loved ones safe, worry for their friends, worry for how they're going to make ends meet, worry for how they'll be able to keep it all going while supporting kids, spouses, aging parents.... The list goes on and on and on. And because most moms I know are strapped with an already wavering sense of confidence in their ability to parent, adding the pressure of keeping up with all of the state, health and school guidelines, not to mention what the new rules are each week for going to the grocery store...Mom's are maxed out!

But there's good news: One of the best things you can do for the mom in your life this Mother's Day, will cost you absolutely nothing.

                                        You can offer her your support. 

More than diamonds, chocolates and flowers, moms want and need to feel validated,  like someone's got their back. They need rest. They need an extra set of hands. They need a listening ear. They need a minute to themselves.

If you can recognize this, voice it to the mom in your life and offer your support, that would be a priceless present, indeed.

We can't do brunch out at the moment. A shopping trip or visit to a salon may not be within mom's comfort zone, yet.

But letting her know that you see her, you see the work she does and the way it benefits your family, and that you appreciate it...that's a gift that every mom would be happy to receive.

It seems like such a simple thing. But if all of this Social Isolation/Covid/Corona/Quarantine business has taught us is that sometimes the simple things mean the most.

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