Tips for Writing Your Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) Message

The pomeranian-fiend at the bottom is my mom. I'm behind her, to the left.

I realize it’s a little late to be writing this, but I just got finished reading through dozens of trite, tired Mother’s Day greetings and I had to say something. If it’s the thought that counts, most people apparently have very little regard for their mothers and their happiness on this day. Some examples:

• Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks for all your hard work, love, and support over the years! You’re the best!”
• It’s such a blessing to have a mom like you! Thanks for putting up with me and making so many sacrifices!
• Happy Mother’s Day! I love you so much and thanks for all you do!

 
First off, let me say that there’s nothing wrong with these messages. And of course, we can’t dismiss the fact that all of these people *might* have also included much better messages with the cards and gifts they gave. Still, they’re totally impersonal and…well, just plain boring.

So, what should you do if you don’t want your mom to spend Mother’s Day lamenting the fact that her kids are totally unoriginal?

• If you have special nicknames or silly words you used as a kid, include them.  For example, my sisters and I used to call my mom “Mama Llama”.  It’s much more personal for me to say, “Happy Mother’s Day, Llama!” than a plain old “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!”
• Be specific.   Like they say in writing, “Show – don’t tell.”  Instead of “Thanks for all the hard work and sacrifices,” I might say, “Thanks for not killing us the time we coated the entire bathroom in baby powder so we could “skate” on the floor,” or “Thanks for making us all those awesome custom Halloween costumes that were so much cooler than the lame plastic ones all the other kids had.”  If you’re like most people, you spent 18+ years living with your mother.  If you can’t find some good material from that kind of timespan, something’s wrong.
• Use your own voice.  I am NOT a sappy or emotional person, and if I sent a message that sounded like the average Mother’s Day card, I’m quite certain my mom would think something strange was going on.  She’d probably start wondering if I had been abducted by human traffickers who sent the message to prevent her from realizing something was up until it was too late and they had smuggled me across the border.   Really – she comes up with scenarios like this – the excessive concern is endearing, though occasionally frustrating   The point is that you should write what is natural for YOU, not what’s natural for the writers at Hallmark.
• Don’t forget the current stuff. Is there something you admire about your mom?  My mom is a nursing home activity director who totally pours herself into keeping her residents as happy as possible.  There was a time a year or so ago that she was planning a huge “Teddy Bear Picnic” and my sisters and I must have all heard about this party a million times.   When we wrote her birthday announcement for the local paper, we poked fun at this a little bit, while letting her know how much we DO actually admire what she does for her residents.   Similarly, she took up guitar this year, which was totally out of her comfort zone but my sisters and I are all super excited for her and proud that she decided to go for it.

 
If you have more tips, feel free to add them in the comments! There’s still time to give your mom the Mother’s Day message she deserves – and don’t forget all of these points when Father’s Day rolls around.  Dads like personalized messages, too!