Dear husbands, fiancés, boyfriends, partners and baby daddies,

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. The mother of your child braved pregnancy, childbirth and many sleepless nights. She’s working so hard to take care of your little one. She loves you and tries to plan out nice surprises when it’s her turn to plan something for you. She would really love to feel special and appreciated this Mother’s Day. Flowers or a card are wonderful and they’re always appreciated. But for those who want to do a little more, here are some extra-special ways you can celebrate her this mother’s day.

1. Let her sleep in. When your kids wake up, if you can get up and take the first shift with the kids, she can sleep in.
2. Give a personalized card or picture. Buy a big card or a picture and personalize it with a handprint from the kids or a hand-drawn cartoon of your family. You can write a nice note in there, or it can simply tell her she’s a good mom, and you can sign it from the kids.
3. Take the kids for a good part of the day. Let her do something she enjoys, but can’t normally do, like reading a book.
4. Send her to the spa. If you can arrange for her to get a mani/pedi or massage, and watch the kids while she goes, you’ll probably be her hero, if you weren’t already. You’ll probably need to schedule these in advance (no problem, if you just tell her to schedule them), but what a treat!
5. Take her to dinner/brunch. You can bring the kids or not, but it’s a nice way to make her feel special. You may also be able to find a fun fundraiser dinner for something she cares about.  Or, if she’s really close with her broader family and they live nearby, you could also surprise her by inviting them.
6. Have a nice day with the family. I know it kills some people to go out and deal with the crowds and prices on holidays. Fair enough. A lot of moms would just love to have some time together, with you, at home (and bonus if you’re doing the cooking)!
7. Put your work and pet projects on hold for one day. Working on your own work/project/car while she watches the kids probably doesn’t count toward making her feel appreciated. But, if you have to go to work that day, she’d probably welcome a rain check, if you really plan something for another day.
8. Tackle a big project at-home that would mean a lot for her. Has she been dying redo the backyard or to put up a new light in the dining room? Maybe this would be a good day to put in the elbow grease.
9. Kidnap her. You can get a babysitter and take her somewhere fun and different, like a murder mystery dinner, a musical, dinner & dancing, or whatever fun local attraction you can find.
10. Do something with her that she loves, even if it’s not your favorite thing to do, like watching a chick flick or going dancing.
11. Surprise her with a lunch with her friends. You could arrange in advance for the dads to babysit the kids, so the moms can all go to lunch together.
12. Give her something she’d really like. This one’s last, because most moms I spoke to really just wanted dad to take the kids for a bit, then to spend some time as a family, and to feel appreciated. But… Did she love Fifty Shades of Grey? You could get her the movie with an alternate ending. Does she love meaningful gifts from you that show her she’s special? You could get her a charm bracelet or necklace. Does she love family pictures? Maybe a camera.  Or you could get her something “from the kids”.

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