Americans spend more on Mother’s Day than just about any other non-winter holiday. But loving Mom isn’t just about what you give her. It’s what you give each other. Here are five inexpensive, heartfelt ideas that can bring you even closer.
Make her dinner and give her your full attention
Mom’s likely done a lot of cooking for you. Studies say 60% of women and 33% of men do meal prep regularly and women spend nearly an hour a day preparing food. So give her a break, but also the gift of your company.
Wash her car
Acts of service are good for the recipient, but they’re also great for the person doing them, making both of you happy , so it’s a double gift!
Walk and talk
Go for a walk and have great side-by-side conversations . That type of conversation is typically low-stress, can be more in-depth and strengthens parent-child bonds at all ages, as Deseret News has reported. They’re especially good if there’s something important to be discussed.
Help her weed her garden
Gardening has a lot of mental and physical health benefits that also bring joy, but weeding can feel like never-ending drudgery, and company makes it feel less like work. Gardening also helps adults keep up their hand strength and pinch force, and garden designing and execution is good for the mind.
Write your mom a handwritten note
Psychologist Sara Algoe, a professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says a handwritten note says the person was thinking about you and took the time to take pen to paper. On a wellness blog , she notes humans want to feel “valued and loved and respected.” A note signals that.
Any way you show your mom love is great. “I love you, Mom!”…