Make your #1Mom feel special this Mothers’ Day

MANILA, Philippines – We call her our safety net, our go to person when we have problems in school, at work and in our personal life. She was there when we took our first steps as a child and when we walked up the stage for our diploma. She is our constant supporter and our very own cheerleader. 

Our mothers or mother figures have put our needs and wants before theirs, even making sacrifices for us to be able to live out our dreams. Without her, we wouldn’t be who we are today.

Mothers’ Day is just around the corner and it’s an opportunity to make her feel special and appreciated. A simple note, a home cooked meal or a family trip for the weekend can do wonders. 

Here are some stories on how ordinary people have come up with simple ways to make their mothers and wives feel special.

Picnic dates in Dubai 

My mom has been living in Dubai for a few years and now that we’re together, we spend important dates by travelling and seeing Dubai since this is my first time here.

One of the everyday things I do for her is to cook. Last Valentine’s Day, I cooked for her and we had a picnic near the beach. I do this because I want to repay her by taking care of her and to make up for the years that we were not together. – Mae Angelique, 23, daughter

Shirts, poppers and balloons for mom’s birthday

I let my kids do the painting on the shirts, of course. Each shirt had one word and when we stood beside each other, it read, “Best Mom Ever.” We bought cake, balloons and poppers too.

We asked our helper to wake her up and tell her to go down to the kitchen. We were in position, our other helpers were holding the poppers and balloons and our family dog had a balloon tied to his collar. It was perfect! We also gave her a shirt that said, “I am the best mom ever.” It was short and sweet. She loved it. – Red, 42, husband

 Photo exhibit for our award-winning mom

 

Since my mom is a photographer and is always the one behind the camera, we decided to have all her award-winning photos developed and framed and turned our living room into a mini exhibit space so all her family and friends can admire her hard work. – Joseph, 10, son

 Anything for our #1 single mom

On Mothers’ Day, I usually treat my mom for lunch and give her roses and balloons. On her birthdays, I cook for her and her guests. I do this because my two siblings and I are the only ones who take care of her. This is just one of the little ways we repay her for raising us on her own despite her [physical] disability. She’s our #1mom! – Kaye, 22, daughter

 Sweet breakfasts in bed

I love my wife and I think she’s a great mother. As much as I want to make her feel special every single day, I sometimes find myself busy with work. So, instead of waiting for her birthday or for Mothers’ Day to do something special for her, I decided to make her breakfast in bed for one entire week. I’m not much of a cook but I do know how to cook up a mean stack of bacon pancakes – and thankfully pancakes are her favorite. To make it more special, I asked our 3–year old son to write her a note every morning to go with her breakfast. Just something simple as “Mommy, I love you” or “To the best mom in the world.” She loved it and now, I am more than willing to wake up extra early every morning to cook for her. – Jason, 32, husband

 Ecuadorian roses for mom

‘Last year, a day before Mothers’ Day, we went up to our house in Tagaytay and us four kids picked out flowers for her. It was difficult to hide since we were in the same place. As soon as she woke up the next day, the four Ecuadorian yellow roses (representing each of us kids) greeted her good morning. We would always write a note with the flowers, this time it said ‘Only the best, biggest and the most beautiful happy yellow flowers for the best mom in the world! Because you’re worth it.’ – Karina, 15, daughter

 A Valentine’s Day surprise for my best friend

My parents separated when I was just a baby. I live with my mom but I see my dad from time to time and still get time to bond with him when he comes home to the Philippines.

My mom and I are really close. I feel like she’s my best friend.

She has always been busy with work even on holidays. I remember she used to stay up until the wee hours in the morning so I could study in Ateneo. I’m now studying in UP Diliman and I want to follow her footsteps in advertising one day. 

So it was Mothers’ Day and she was asked to report back to work. I decided to surprise her and send a bouquet of flowers to her office with a post it saying that she should meet me at 12 noon in BGC Starbucks. I even asked her boss for some help and allow her to see me during office hours. I was dressed in a tux, I asked the guard and baristas to give the woman in a yellow cardigan red roses. They led her to a table which I reserved and I told her that since I don’t see her go out on dates so much, I made one for her. – Buboy, 19, son

Experimental birthday cakes 

Every year, my sisters and I bake a cake for my mom on her birthday. We usually experiment with the recipes so we’re never really sure if it will turn out good, but hey, it’s worth a try! We try our best to surprise her with it even if we do it every year. One time, we even hid it in the dishwasher so she wouldn’t find it. She deserves to feel special because we know how difficult it could get raising 5 children. She sacrificed so much for us and even gave up her career to raise us. We wouldn’t be who we are if it weren’t for her. – Marco, 17, son

 A special video for our #1 mom

My siblings and I usually make a Mothers’ Day video every other year that showcases her personality and how she is as a mother to us by imitating her actions and her famous lines. We also dedicate songs for her as tribute to how we love her and an AVP of photos we had for the year. We plan to make another this coming Mothers’ Day and we’ll treat her with a “day off” by granting her requests such us giving her a massage, doing chores, and just make her have the best time. – Caela, 10, daughter

My nephew’s thoughtful drawings on the wall

My 4-year old nephew James loves to draw. He loves it so much he draws on walls, tables, chairs, absolutely anything he can write on. It stresses out my sister so much because she has to worry about repainting her walls or wiping the tables and chairs clean. We always give him paper to draw on, even buying him a sketchbook, but I guess there’s just something about drawing on walls.

One day, I saw him draw a picture of him and my sister on the wall in his room. He then said, “So mommy will stop getting mad at me.” It was a really cute picture and when my sister saw it, she just teared up. I also told her what he said when I spotted him drawing on the wall again.

She decided to keep his drawing on that wall to remember it by. – Sam, 17, aunt

This Mothers’ Day, don’t miss a chance to tell the world what makes your mom #1 by sharing your own inspiring stories here. – Rappler.com

With additional research by Alex Villegas and David Elevazo.