My mother confessed recently to one of my siblings that when we were school- age children, she harbored a certain comical dread of Mother’s Day.
She liked to sleep in a little longer on Sundays than we deemed permissible on her special day — at least longer than your average rooster. The ersatz breakfast-in-bed we prepared, as our father supervised while simultaneously reading the newspaper and mowing the lawn, generally featured slices of limp toast drenched with enough butter for a sheet cake, tepid coffee and a slightly over- or undercooked boiled egg. This repast was served on a giant tray that, when ferried upstairs by at least two of us, invariably tilted, soaking one of her good linen napkins with juice.
A few years ago, as I helped her pack for a move, I discovered that my mother had saved all of our homemade Mother’s Day gifts. There was a stash of tattered, paper cards festooned with block lettering and some of our first crayoned signatures. There were molded clay animals of indeterminate species, a necklace made from construction paper links, a painted cardboard jewelry box decorated with shells collected at the beach, and a plethora of drawings in paper frames.
After all the gift giving, it seems it’s the memories of the day and those things made by hand that remain.
So we’ve gathered a few ideas for Mother’s Day gifts children can make alone or with the help of an older child or adult. Along with the presents that mark the digital age — a surprise background photo on Mom’s computer screen or a compilation of songs on her MP3 — nothing is more precious than a handmade gift touched by a child.
Karen Mitchell is a Boulder freelance writer and mother of two who will always cherish her handmade Mother’s Day cards.
