Forget the flowers, forget the perfume. Forget the gifts she doesn't need, forget the chocolate she'd rather not eat. Instead, this Mother's Day, tell her she's a good mum.
When she tells them another story before bed, when she builds them the biggest fort your lounge can contain, when she pushes them higher on the swings at the park - notice these things. When she lays their comforters in their beds, when she makes sure their favourite dresses are clean for an outing, when she ensures their favourite snacks never run out - see these things. When she scoops them up in her arms because they have fallen, when she soothes their grazes with her magic kisses, when she calms them with words whispered in their ears - watch these things.
These are the things she will do without thinking. These are the things she does everyday before anything else. These are the things she does because they matter more than folding the laundry or vacuuming the carpet. She will do them again on Mother's Day. She will tell her youngest the card she made is the most beautiful card she has ever seen. She will hold her eldest in her lap until he falls asleep when the excitement gets too much. She will do those things no-one else can, and it won't matter that it's Mother's Day.
This Mother's Day, sympathise with her when she tells you about the tantrum in the supermarket. Listen to her when she tells you her fears for her eldest. Support her when she asks you for help in making decisions for them. Hold her hand when she despairs at the latest toddler meltdown. Be there behind her when she feels like the exhaustion is getting too much. Hold her when she questions whether she is good enough for them.
This Mother's Day, look closely at this mummy. You will see a woman who will put her children before all else. You will see a mother who will dream the dreams of her children so she can help make them happen. You will see a person who wants nothing less than health and happiness for the people who love her most. But you will also see a woman who doubts herself while she strives to be the best mother she can be. You will find a woman who fears nothing more than letting her children down.
Tell this woman today and every day that she is a good mother. Tell her that no-one else can soothe the children like she can. Tell her that no-one else can make them believe they will achieve their dreams like she can. Tell her that no-one else can make their bedtime books come alive like she can. Tell her that no-one else can hold them in their arms and calm them like she can.
On this Mother's Day, do this, and do it again. Tell her she is wonderful. Tell her she is a good mother. And then, wake up the next morning and tell her the same thing again. Because even when Mother's Day is over, she will wake up and still be everything her children need.