Happy Mother’s Day!

Ah, Mother’s Day! When we were younger nothing said I Love You like a macaroni necklace and a hand made card. As we get older it becomes more important to show our love for our mothers and yet it seems like a macaroni necklace just doesn’t cut it anymore (though, truth be told, a mom would probably cherish one at any age). Mother’s are our first love, no matter if we are sons or daughters. We looked up to her, wanted to be just like her or marry someone just like her.

Moms are our everything. They protect us and teach us. They do their best to keep us in line and they heal us when we are sick. Mothers are there for us when our hearts get broken and when we need a little encouragement or a big push.

Moms provide the best advice, the best recipes (or at least the number for reservations to the best restaurants) and they do it all with a smile.

While mother/son relationships tend to be pretty easy, mother/daughter relationships can sometimes be difficult. If you’re a mother with a daughter and you have a sometimes challenging relationship or you’re a daughter with a sometimes difficult relationship with your mom, why not use Mother’s Day to try to find some common ground and improve your relationship. Often these relationships are difficult because we can’t put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. Here are some tips for a happier mother/daughter relationship

For the moms:

Don’t Nag – It’s easy to do, since birth we’ve been telling them to wipe their nose, pick up their room and get their homework done. The thing is, now that beautiful little girl is an adult and chances are you did your job right and she turned out ok. Let her make her own decisions and stop telling her what to do, even if it’s just out of habit.

Don’t Criticize – If you’re daughter isn’t married yet, hasn’t provided you with grandchildren yet or hasn’t done something you are waiting for try to back off. Again, you raised this person to be all that they are and they will do these things on their own schedule, or maybe not at all. That’s ok, it’s their life. Let them live it. Love them for who they are now and not who they might be one day.

For the daughters:

Don’t complain – About your boyfriend, husband, children, job or anything else if you don’t want your mom to toss in her own two cents.

Put Yourself in Her Shoes – Believe it or not, your mom once rocked the dance floor, had all kinds of suitors, dressed to the nines and stayed out all night. In other words, before you were born your mother was a lot of fun. Moms do and say what they do because they want to be the best mom they can for their kids. The thing is sometimes divorce gets in the way. Your mom might have had to work a couple of jobs to keep you fed and in decent clothes not to mention college. That can wear even the toughest people out. Cut mom some slack and understand that before she had you she had no idea what it was like to raise a child. Understand that she’s done the best she could.

For both of you:

The best and strongest relationships are those where there is real listening and understanding taking place. If there is an argument it’s important to repair any damage as quickly as possible. Better yet, watch your words and try not to say things you’ll need to take back later on. Remember you love each other and there is no greater bond than the one between a mother and her daughter.

This Mother’s Day show your mom how much you care by sending her a card, calling her on the phone or better yet – show up at her place with some premium coffee and a macaroni necklace.

Happy Mother’s Day!!