By Siobhan O’Neill White

This month it’s all about the Mammies! On 10th March, ‘Mother’s Day’, us hard working Mammies are ‘supposed’ to get the day off and have someone else do the cooking, cleaning and the million other things we do daily. Of course, its lovely to give a gift to your Mam or get a gift from your children but for me, the best gifts are usually the ones that don’t cost a thing. One of my best memories is my children bringing me Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.. Because they were too young to boil the kettle, they made the tea with lukewarm water from the tap. This was proudly presented beside a salad sandwich (at 8am!)! There was broken cheese, lettuce and chunks of tomato. They weren’t able to spread the butter as it was cold from the fridge, so the butter was also in chunks! But you know what – it’s one of my favourite Mother’s Day memories. Their efforts made me feel so loved. Was I able to eat it? Not quite but the gesture was enough to put me in a great mood. And what made me even happier was when my husband offered to take a few bites when the kids left the room so they wouldn’t be disappointed that I didn’t eat it! Another favourite gift was given to me last year. My youngest, who is so good at arts and crafts made me a ticket machine and every time I pulled out a ticket there was a little message on it, like ‘Here’s a hug’ or ‘I Luv U’. I’ve saved some of them in the back of my phone so whenever I turn it over, I am reminded that my youngest loves me. She will be a teenager before I know so I am relishing these little gestures of love while I can still get them! If your Mam is no longer with you, its ok to feel sad. You may want to be alone or with loved ones – you should do what feels right for you and please be extra kind to yourself if you’re having a hard day. Wishing you all the best for March 10th. Siobhán @mams.ie x
Shortlisted for Golden Spider Award & Infant & Maternity Award
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