Around this time of year the topic of what moms really want for Mother’s Day always comes up. So I was thinking what do I really want? The list below pretty much sums it up.

The good news is – most of these don’t cost anything, your kids can “give” them to you too, and you don’t have to go to the store!

I am lucky that I have a great husband who does many of these things regularly. He is also quite capable of caring for our 3 children and giving me a break on the weekends. For me, that’s all I want.

Just a little break (yes, yes, I know – small hugs and kisses too…blah blah blah).

If you open it – close it.

If you turn the light on – turn it off.

If you open a window – close the window.

If you take it out of my car – put it back into my car.

If you go to a store – ask if I need anything there. Yes, even if I was there yesterday.

If you play with something – put it away. Perhaps take a picture of where things go first.

If you finish something – throw it out.

If we need something – write it down. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell me. I’ve already forgotten.

Help me fold the laundry – or better yet, pay someone to do it. It will be the best money you have ever spent!

Let me sleep late on the weekends.

Make me a sandwich for lunch.

Voluntarily answer one of the 700 questions our kids ask me.

Always buy me flowers when you go to the store.

Accept the unspoken challenge of putting used water bottles in the dishwasher.

Clean the pasta pot I left on the stove.

Throw your garbage out from my car.

Don’t tell me I go to sleep too late.

Make a pediatrician appointment for the weekend & offer to take the kids.

Realize every day I’m just trying to keep my shit together and I’m holding on by a thread.

Get the car ready for carpool.

Put the dishes in the dishwasher.

Skip to the part where you just agree with me.

Always buy me my favorite chocolate.

Make enough coffee for me to have a 2^nd or 3^rd cup.

Don’t tell me how I need to be helped.

Fill my car up with gas on Sundays.

Allow me to sit in the closet with a glass of wine for 10 minutes when you come home.

Write down the brands we use so you get the correct ones. The first time.

Keep getting my favorite ice cream cake for the smallest occasion.

Know 76% of the time I AM actually going to the bathroom when I’m hiding in there.

Understand that sometimes laying in bed reading a crappy magazine is all I need and want. THAT is “taking time for myself”. And yes, the door is locked.

Make me get a massage monthly. For the holidays buy me a bulk pack so I have NO excuses. Let me go during dinner time so I truly can relax.

Understand that I can simultaneously feel beyond blessed that this is our life and also that I’m ready to run away and join the circus. I may have a go bag already packed.

Wrap the birthday presents for the weekend. Or even better – buy them. Ha!!! Can you imagine?

Take notes every time I say I wish I had X and then buy it for a holiday like Mother’s Day. Efficient gift giving at it’s best!

Tell me I look nice even if I haven’t showered. Laughter reduces my stress.

Know I love YOU & appreciate your “different hard.” But just do it. Don’t ask why.

Tell me I’m doing a great job.

Tell me you appreciate me.

Every.

Single.

Fucking.

Day.

Happy Mother’s Day 2018!

Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrahs Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (11, 7, and 5). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. Stacey is also an active PTA member (and former president) as well as a Girl Scout troop leader. Her musings on motherhood, Manhattan, the suburbs, and more can be found here and on Facebook at The Mint Chip Mama. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the schools University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. For more updates, follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. View more posts