Mother’s Day gifts don’t have to be expensive

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2017 (3100 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I live with my mom and don’t know what to get her for Mother’s Day, and I have no money anyway. What can I do so she doesn’t feel forgotten? I’ll run and get the paper first thing in the morning if you tell me something to do for her that day.

— Love My Mom, West End

Dear Love My Mom: Words of love are very important and they can be written on any folded piece of paper to a make a card, even lined pages from a school notebook.

Moms don’t care about the type of paper. Write Happy Mother’s Day in big letters and then underneath, “Thanks for being a great Mother to me.”

Inside, list the things she does that you love or some of her nice characteristics, such as being kind, funny and understanding.

Draw a heart and a flower on the card. Colour them if you have any art supplies around. Sign it with words of affection, give her the card and let her read it in front of you. If you have a phone, or she does, take a selfie with the two of you so she can show it off to her friends.

As for a gift, make breakfast for her — even simple toast and coffee — and sit and talk with her at the table. That would be a wonderful celebration of Mother’s Day and start the day off right. That, a big hug and “Love you, Mom!” She won’t forget that day!

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: Please print this on Mother’s Day, as I really need to thank the mothers who take on an extra kid in the neighbourhood being raised by dad alone. There were two mothers who were best friends who lived on either side of my widowed dad and me. They made it their project to mother me, a lonely little girl in many ways.

One of them always asked me to plant the garden with her in May. And we had lots of fun going to the nursery and picking out flowers, tomatoes and other stuff, and I got to make a lot of the choices myself.

While we planted, we talked. She helped me with a lot of things beyond planting. We talked about school, boys, life with my dad and what I wanted to be when I grew up.

She would often invite her friend — my other mother — over for tea and muffins at the end, and we would all talk and laugh. That other mother wasn’t much for gardening, but taught me how to sew and make pottery, and we would watch TV and she would put her arm around me.

They were friends with my father and asked him if they could take me shopping for things such as clothes and girl toys — and later bras, underwear and makeup. One of them explained all about periods and got me the stuff I would need.

The two of them taught me how to shop for myself and keep a house. They even convinced my dad to get a cleaning lady in once a month.

They negotiated an allowance for clothing and girl stuff for me because my dad was so grateful.

The arty mom was no good at money, but the other mother taught me how to budget and save.

They took me shopping for gifts for my dad and other people. They gave me gifts for birthdays and Christmas. In return, I loved them very much and always loved it when Mother’s Day came around.

The teachers knew about my two moms and let me make two cards instead of one every year. I still make them handmade cards to this day and call them my “bestest” moms.

I hope other people will see this, and if they know of any little girls who need a mother figure, they will step in where — believe me — there is a big gap, no matter how hard dad tries.

— Love My Moms, Winnipeg

Dear Love My Moms: What a beautiful situation you had — two neighbourhood moms who were friends but quite different from each other. They could teach you twice as many skills while both giving you love and attention. As you all grow older, I’m sure you will give the love back and take good care of them.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.