Mothers Day 2026 Disappointment Thread

[Tinklapo]

Starting a thread for those of us who feel disappointed, unappreciated and let down this Mothers Day.

I’ll start. DH went away to stay with his mum this weekend (2 hours away, nice thought as she’s elderly and unsure how many more Mother’s Days there will be). He said he would be home at 12 so I (stupidly) assumed we would do something as a family but this morning he has told me that he won’t be home until this evening as he’s going to a football match local to his mums.

He’s left me no card, no gift and now I need to spend today doing what I do every day and look after the kids, do all the cooking etc. Feeling totally unappreciated.

We had a conversation last week about Mother’s Day and I said one thing I would love is some time to myself to recharge my batteries. I’ll be making sure I book myself for a long spa weekend next Mother’s Day!

Not everybody buys overpriced crap though? Some of us buy thoughtful gifts that are appreciated by the recipient, and some of us receive those sorts of gifts too.

I’m sorry for the mums who haven’t been appreciated today. It’s not difficult to make a cup of tea or coffee and give it with a biscuit and a cuddle, or pop into the supermarket to buy a bunch of flowers. Quite why so many men seem to fail at this I have no idea. It’s disappointing.

So now I don’t feel so isolated anymore.

My son asked me last weekend what did I want for Mothering Sunday, at a rather awkward moment so I wasn’t able to respond properly so said ‘oh the usual’. (Hence flowers from the garage and bar of chocolate would do).
He informed me that he wife was seeing her mother, fair enough, so it was just him and our grandson (nearly 4) over for Sunday lunch.
Well, I thought a morning in the garden hunting worms with grandson but they didn’t arrive until gone 2pm . Fortunately we hadn’t started the meal, or it would have been ruined.

My son gave me a card, ones I’d seen in Home Bargains, a wedge of black pudding that his mate had bought too much for Saturday breakfast and a selection of American sweets sent from an internet friend that no one else liked.

His wife arrived in the evening, after I had bathed and pj’d grandson, all dressed up. She had taken her mum out to an afternoon tea (£50 a head) and said it was too posh for them and they didn’t like the sandwiches much.

When I heard, yep, I was disappointed with second hand sweets (sorry Americans, your sweets are not great) and a bit of black pudding.
The restaurant my DIL went to is on my bucket list for a cream tea, any tea actually.

This is when I desperately miss my departed daughter, we were a team.

Me too 😢

Mothers day is just too hyped up now. A relaxed day and some cute things they've made at school really is all thats needed imo. My four year old decorated a picture of a bird and has asked me if I love it dozens of times already. My seven year old bought me a net of chocolate coins then decided she wanted to eat them herself and wrapped up her pencil case for me. My nine year old wrote a card and bought me a poundland necklace which she was so proud of. Ten year old wished me a happy mother day, gave me a cuddle and offered to make me a cuppa. Twelve year old has wished me a happy father day. Fourteen year old is blissfully unaware. Husband made me have a nap this afternoon which was pretty good until the four year decided to join me and kicked a cup of tea over me.

DP went to the effort of buying me a mug I wanted and a card. All DD had to do was write the card and wrap the mug, but she didn’t. Stayed in her room most of the day, moping but ran out the door like a bat out of hell to see her friend. She was supposed to make me scones. No time to make scones when she got back. I asked her to get homework for tomorrow done. Not done. She’s showering now (she’s only 12) so everything all too late and she’ll be tired and grumpy in the morning and she’ll expect me to support her through some sort of meltdown. I’m done. Next Mother’s Day I’m going out, by myself.

My partner's mum died when she was 4 so barely remembers her. Her dad never remarried so there was no stepmother either. The anniversary of her mum's death is 10 March, so usually fairly close to Mothering Sunday.

My partner had several miscarriages with her partner previous to me and would have been a wonderful mum but it was not to be.

She's now 56 so has never experienced Mothering Sunday either as a daughter or a mum.

The people who moan about M&S fucking sandwiches and the like should perhaps just stop and think how lucky they are to be a mum.

Divorce these selfish uselss fuckers now..you will when peri hits and you realise you wasted years with these crappy men any way ...save yourself time.

Ive been single forever thank god but
My adult daughter came in clutch with a very cute gift her siblings rode her coatails I would have been disappointed without her effort

Divorce these selfish uselss fuckers now..you will when peri hits and you realise you wasted years with these crappy men any way ...save yourself time.

Ive been single forever thank god but
My adult daughter came in clutch with a very cute gift her siblings rode her coatails I would have been disappointed without her effort

I don’t watch telly, just streaming services, I order my shop online with ads switched off and my internet algorithms aren’t serving me up MD content. Not listened to a radio in years thanks to Spotify. If I didn’t have a 5 month old daughter (and therefore every baby group doing MD-related stuff last week), I might have missed it as well 😂 When you’re in your twenties, there’s every chance you wouldn’t clock it.

THIS ALL OF THIS

I took your “I’d better get a spa day next year!” as being jokey - maybe more minimising than joking?

It’s not ok OP, but you shouldn’t ignore it and see what happens next year. You deserve better.

You do need to change something, your attitude. You sound very very hard work and entitled.

I'm having a nightmare with my 14 year old just now. My husband asked if she wanted to go to town yesterday to get a card and gift but her behaviour was so awful that I ended up telling her not to bother. All I want is a bit of respect in my own home! So today was awful. She didn't wish me a happy Mother's Day and has continued being her ungrateful, spiteful self. Happy Mother's Day eh? (Please can someone tell me it gets better 😭)

I'm sure I said this last year but decided I can't stand Mother's Day. One day out of 365 days where people pay tokenistic appreciation to the mums (though I didn't even get that 😣🤪😂). It just annoys me but maybe I'm bitter coz my child can't stand the ground I walk on at the moment 😞

Op my dh makes such a fuss of it, all the ‘secret’ planning with the kids, gifts, cards, breakfast and literally just like a second birthday.
I have 2 kids and my ds is 9yo and I can see how this year he’s taken such a lead of his own. He wrote such a beautiful letter to me, asked dh to take him 2 weeks ago to buy me something with his own money, and just made my day so special.
when he was younger, he asked dh why is he making such a big deal of me because I’m not his mother. Dh explained that I’m not HIS mother but I’m the mother of his most precious children so I’m very important and should be very appreciated every day.
Honestly that is how you raise children, I was very emotional and proud to hear that and I could see how that stuck with Ds.
They only learn what’s modelled to them.

im so sorry you had a bad day. I hope you have a think about how he really values you

Sorry accidentally submitted “@“! Please ignore

Please tell
me you will also forget their birthday and important events. Being the bigger and better person will get you nowhere.
they get away with it because they count on people still doing the right thing . Why don’t you give them a taste of Their own medicine- selfish fuckers

Not sure if this helps or not but it's reminded me of my brother who as far as I remember never did anything for my mum on mother's day. It used to make me a bit sad and annoyed as a child. Now he will send them a text if he realises it's mother's or father's day.

We are both in our 40s now and live on the other side of the world to our parents. Our parents are disabled and struggling with their care but my brother goes to see them 3 or 4 times a year and stays as long as his job and family allows (usually at least 3 weeks). He keeps thinking about how to improve their care and has probably saved my dad from being put in a nursing home and also from being medicated into a stupor for the rest of his life. He sorts pretty much everything for them. Calls them every day at least once or twice. He keeps thinking about how to make life better for them because "they are our parents, they have been good parents and we need to help them".

Some people don't think about doing special occasions and I think especially for teenagers and people in their twenties their own life is quite all consuming. My own kids (who are still primary age) love to make a fuss but they do it because they love doing it and because it's fun. Once it stops being fun they might not do it so enthusiastically anymore or at all. For teenagers and older I think there's a lot more inertia to overcome and also they probably stop making cards or being reminded about mother's day at school. Maybe some people can do both, ie show appreciation on special occasions and also support when it really matters but just because they don't do the former it doesn't mean they don't or won't in the future do the later.

Having said that my kids happened to be too busy to do anything for my birthday and it did make me feel a bit sad so I do get it I think and don't blame anyone for feeling bad. I just wanted to say that it doesn't necessarily mean they don't care or don't appreciate what you have done for them..

Well the day is over and I haven't heard a peep from my only dc, 27 year old ds. I don't expect a present or even a card but a simple text would have been nice.

I never understand why people provide such extreme examples. A mother can be grateful for her children, yet expect appreciation and respect on such a day. Stop guilting them by making them feel they are doing something wrong. Yes there are few that have unreasonable expectations but most aren't like that.

I think I agree with this approach, but having taught thoughtfulness would've helped, too.
I think families forget all relationships need nurturing.

You asked your 11 year old for a forty quid present?

No. I asked my ex husband. She wanted to buy a bar of chocolate as well. Gifts between me and ex are normally £40-£50. I would never take more than I was willing to spend on him. Its more about DD having something to give.

Mmmm…. Been thinking about this. My kids are (DS) 18 and ( DD) 21. DD is at uni and was home last weekend . She bought flowers, left a card and text today. DS? Nothing at all. I have incurable cancer and probably won’t be around next Mother’s Day. Yeah.. feeling sad 😔

Is he like this at all times or just mothers day.