What Do Mothers Really Want?

What do you give someone who has given you everything? It’s impossible to find the perfect gift. Mother’s Day is about celebrating the woman who gave you life.  There’s no gift that seems just right. Rather than buy her a generic message on a piece of folded paper and a bouquet of flowers that will wilt and die, I decided to dedicate this post to my mother.

She’s the one who inspired all of my resourceful and thrifty ways. She would always be the first to say, “We can make that ourselves!” or “Let’s wait until it goes on sale!”. She showed me there was more than one solution to every problem and doing it myself was rewarding, in more ways than money. I didn’t have to do it the same way as everyone else.

She’s always been my biggest fan. She showed me I could do things when I was convinced I couldn’t. She’s the first one to motivate and help me. Every house we’ve ever owned, she’s been involved with some kind of project. We’ve peeled off wallpaper, demolished a bathroom, tiled a shower, painted ceilings, and organized basements together. I learned that paying someone to do something I could do myself was wasting my talents.

She taught me to do it right the first time. I can remember having to vacuum and re-vacuum the same carpet several times because I didn’t do a good enough job. When I was 10, it felt like torture. Now I can see the benefits of slowing down and doing it the right way. So many lessons I never realized I was learning at the time came from her.

She’s been the checklist I didn’t write.  She always asks if I remembered “this” or if I had “that” and usually I didn’t.  I’m not sure that taught me to be more independent, but it did show me that she always had my back.

She taught me that it costs absolutely nothing to be a good person and to help people whenever I can.  There is so much joy in doing for others.  She instilled in me to do my best at every job, regardless of whether I’m being paid or not.  Character is worth more than any paycheck.

She laughs the hardest at all of my one liners. She enjoys my dry sense of humor, even when it’s at her expense. She just laughs and says, “You’re just like your father!”.  She’s always been able to laugh at herself and I’ve learned to do the same. Laughter is such an important part of my life.

What do mothers really want? As a mother, I can confidently say, we want to feel appreciated by our child. We want to know that all of our sacrifices and efforts mattered. We want to know our child was actually listening, all of those times when we didn’t think we were getting through. What we all want, as mothers, is for our child to make us proud. Mom, I hope I have.

In lieu of flowers, please make a charitable contribution to the world.

 

Kara Addington

About Kara Addington

I live in a small town in Northern Maine with my husband, daughter, and dog. I scour yard sales and thrift shops for clothing, furniture, and decor. I've been known to rescue items from the trash to repurpose into craft projects. I rarely pay full price for anything. When I come home from grocery shopping with something outside of our normal staples, I am faced with, "You had a coupon, didn't you?". Well, of course I did! I enjoy thinking outside of the box. I rarely do what everyone else does, I'm all about using my resources and I hate how disposable everything is. I am passionate about sharing my discoveries and lifestyle with others. I love to help people save money, live debt free and to recycle and repurpose unwanted items. Living well on less is my area of expertise.