Mother’s Day as a single parent

[AmyJahabee]

My kids are under 10 and I can feel they really want to do something for me but no other adult around to help them plan. They have done the usual card and stuff from school. I want to make it exciting and celebrate yearly for us. What do you do as a single parent? Go out for meal? Activity? Please share. I want them to be involved in some way, they have some money save and wouldn’t mind spending on mummy and I would return without them knowing. Thanks

I get a handmade card, flowers and breakfast in bed. In the afternoon we’ll go see my mom.

This is my favourite mumsnet thread of the year!

I brought mine to Sainos today. Gave my 10yo £20 to buy some MD treats. They had a lot of fun sneaking around hiding daffodils and Lindt whilst I did my shopping.

Ladies helped them at check out (as I peeked around the aisle) and we all had a sausage roll on the way home.

Last year I got burnt dry toast and smiling faces at 0720 in bed. This year I suggested I get a lie in till 8 and then we make eggy bread/ crispy bacon with maple syrup for a breakfast together 😬

Can you take them to a small ish shop and let them wander round and pick what they want to buy you within budget? Handmade cards together, a cute little tea party

I'm a single parent and I dont usually celebrate mothers day as I had my first baby on Mothers day and he passed away, so I always feel like celebrating Mothers day is a snub to him, I know mothers day changes every year, but to me it will always be his day. Tomorrow will be the first time since he was born ( 11 years ) that Mothers Day falls exactly on his birthday

But - last year I celebrated as my daughter had gotten upset to my mum that she could never celebrate Mothers day with me. My mum helped her pick some presents, cards and then ordered a little buffet to mine ( all done over facetime as we live an hour away from each other )

I was strapped for cash this year but If I'd if planned it better I'd of let mine go round the shops this year and pick up a few bits

@ShockedIsntTheWord so sorry to hear about losing your baby hugs and 💗, thank you for your suggestions xx

We have planned to go out for breakfast tomorrow and then we’re going to watch films and do a celebratory cross-stitch together. Mini-me has prepped vegetables ready for the slow cooker and has asked me to help her make a lovely casserole for the evening. The glue and scissors were out today so I think there may be a card in the offing. I know she has asked grandma to buy my favourite tea bags with her pocket money too. We’ll also try to spoil grandma rotten on our way back from breakfast. The little one is really excited to surprise grandma with me. It is going to be a great day.

What a lovely thread. I hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow.

In our house the birthday person always chooses the meal (could be home cooked, or a restaurant, or takeaway) so I think that could work for Mother’s Day too.. you get to choose the meal, something that’s your favourite, but maybe they set a fancy table or bring it to you on the sofa having plated up in the kitchen?

I love that! I love doing silly things like that with DD, I hope she'll remember them in years to come like you did.

When mine were younger, I used to give them a tenner and send them up to the local shops to buy something for me. They'd usually come back with a tenner's worth of sweets and chocolate, or bubble bath and soap.

Single mum here. My 10 year old DD surprised me with a pamper night this evening. I came downstairs and she'd poured me a G&T, got me clean pjs ready and had put out serums, eye pads and moisturiser. Poor lamb even massaged my feet! She also made me a sweet jar. Things like that are priceless!

Nothing, it’s my son’s birthday tomorrow and he doesn’t want to share the day so it will be all about him.
life as a single mum 🤷‍♀️

My best Mother’s Day was when DH was away. I waited by the door of Tesco and gave them £10 each to by a present. Everything was so thoughtful!
They also planned a day out- my 9yo googled a woods nearby we hadn’t visited and put it in google maps. My 9yo asked for £10 to buy a surprise picnic in Asda (I waited at the door) and they took me out for a picnic lunch (baguette, cheese slices, ham, strawberries, Diet Coke and mini muffins)- it was perfect, especially as they thought it all out themselves.

As they've got older, mine are capable of doing more by themselves. If they're here for the weekend anyway, they make breakfast and I lie-in until it's ready. I pick an outing and give them my card to buy the picnic from the supermarket, so I don't have to make it myself. I get to choose a film in the evening.

This year it's their dad's weekend, so they're coming to me mid-morning and will make a cake. We'll do a special lunch together. Sometimes in the past they have made it all themselves. Tomorrow we decided to have something they'll need my help with, then we'll play board games before I drop them back.

Sometimes we have days where they choose what to do and I tell them the budget. So you could do that and say that the treat of it is that you don't have to the organising.

They have asked me several times what I want as a present and I said nothing - but now I wish I'd asked for them to tidy their bedrooms 😆

I absolutely love this - it made me fill up 🥺🥺🥺

'We'd be fancy ladies' - the fact that you even still use this phrase just shows how impactful this simple little thing was for you - it stuck with you.

You've just reinforced my belief that it's the little things that really mean the most to our babies ❤️

I'm not with my ExH. I took my two young DS to tesco to let them choose flowers for me. I tried to steer them towards the ones I like...to no avail so I've got an unsightly bunch here lol taking pride of place in my bedroom. I also bought myself a bunch of roses.
They've both made things for me at school and their father took them to buy me cards.

Tomorrow we will go for brunch and they have a choice of trampolining or the movies after.

I do have a partner who will usually take me for dinner on Mother's Day evenings separately.

I think it’s because it was so simple that’s it stuck with me. It was just lovely.
My mum was a single mum in the 80’s in Hull. There was no airs or graces. Special things done need money really.

When I was a single mum I would take my kids to a shop and give them some money to spend on me which they did and later wrapped , they loved it ( my ex never helped them do anything ) . We would later have a small takeaway . We really enjoyed it x as adults they now treat me ( ex left them too in the end ) and we are really happy x

I'm a single Mum and my DC are both under 7, one with ASD, so it actually hadn't occurred to me to do anything!

EXDP was less than useless when we were together; one memorable Mother's Day when the DC were under 3 he never mentioned a word about it until about 7pm, then suddenly wished me a happy MD, and said we'd celebrate by me ordering a takeaway via an app linked to our joint account, then sulked because I declined to do so.

My DC with ASD spontaneously called out "Mum" to me earlier, said "Happy Mothers Day" then went back into their usual non-verbal mode, and I nearly cried.

This thread has inspired me to help the DC make a fuss of me tomorrow in the little way they can, so I think we'll have a movie afternoon, but I'll get them to bring me the remote and tuck me into the blanket on my legs on the sofa lol

They could make you breakfast. Even if toast and a cup of tea! Have them bring it to you in bed.

DS really likes giving, so he gets told, if he wants to buy mummy flowers for MD then he wont be able to have sweets etc that week. I will then withdraw say £5 and he will pick out some cheap flowers and give them to me.

We would then spend the day on a walk, to the park and go for a snack in a coffee shop etc. Then have a nice home cooked meal and watch a film together

Its a family day for me

Making cards at school aside, my 6 year old twins have zero clue about Mothering Sunday, as I've never 'celebrated it with them.
I had a pretty dire excuse for a Mum, so with her dead, I don't really feel the need to mark it.
It may sound like a cliché, but every day of being their Mum is a gift to me.
I love seeing other families celebrating it, though!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope you’re all having a lovely morning. My two have been as excited as if it’s Christmas. One crept into my bed at 5.20… “mum, it’s Mother’s Day, wake up” and I had to gently send him back to his own room.

The other (clearly prewarned by his brother) gave my hair a stroke at 7 and asked “is it still too early?”

I’ve since had coffee, cold toast and an oddly sliced apple for breakfast; a bunch of flowers I would never have chosen for myself, but that they clearly really thought about (“mum, let me show you all the colours”); and an ugly ornament that I will treasure forever because the youngest bought it for me on a recent residential.

I’d genuinely have been happy with a coffee and a cuddle, but my eyes are still a bit damp from how lovely they’ve been.

@MonkeyPuddle Oh I'm usually a tough old bird but that made me tear up a bit. Cheers to you! Hope you're having a lovely day.

Happy Mother’s Day op!