Bring on Mother’s Night
Face it, Mother’s Day Brunch can be boring. And if you’ve got a mile-long list of to-dos, it can even be downright cruel to catch a nice buzz early in the day, only to have to shake it off before completing your list for the week ahead. Here’s why Mother’s Night is a perfect remedy.
Good Moms Gone Bad.
Busy, stressed and multitasking. For most of us, we haven’t always been this way. Motherhood caused it. ‘The Meddling Kids,’ as Laura calls them. A value shift so deep, it has become physiological and automatic. Some might notice a persistent restless, twitchy feeling in the back of our minds that something, or someone, will need tending to soon enough. Unchecked, that tendency can really get in the way of a good time.
So, what’s a mom to do on the one day that’s supposed to be a table-turning love-fest dedicated to all her hard work and effort? Brunch, then, likely chores. Is this the reason the movie Bad Moms grossed $183 million worldwide at the box office? Moms who try to do it all, then want to give up, only to realize their love for their children and family is what really keeps them going. Like it or not, it seems many of us are living out a cliché so entrenched, it has global resonance.
Let Loose, Sister.
It’s not like the Shoperones have forgotten how to have a good time. Our hunch is, neither have the you. But the day-to-day can keep a mom so focused on mom stuff, it’s almost impossible to properly whoop it up on the regular. So, of all the days, why do we get Sunday to be doted on and honored? In our last post, we talked about our own chore list for the week ahead. Compare it to your own and ask yourself if any Sunday is really your day after all.
“But Shoperones, it’s Mother’s Day,” you implore, “Surely you’ll enjoy some well-earned down time with your children and your own mother or in-laws.”
Yes, if we’re lucky to still have our own moms around, Sunday makes Mother’s Day a good time for her to visit with the kids. It’s nice and right to do it, but truthfully, how many of you sit through the requisite Mother’s Day Brunch, with your own moms or not, sipping bellinis and saying, “This is what makes it all worthwhile,” through pursed lips or clenched teeth? That sounds more like a Mother’s Day designed to please everyone else. Ask your mom, maybe she’d like the idea of Mother’s Night too. If your mom is anything like ours, we’d put money on it.
Recently, I explained our romantic history of binge-drinking, where we make it clear the Shoperones will never judge when it comes to doing it (or even overdoing it) from time to time. We love day-drinking, who can argue with so many clear and obvious benefits?
the feeling you’re invisible in broad daylight, among a sea of sober people
hangover managed by dinner
early to bed and bright-eyed by the morrow
We're Not Monsters.
Of course, we also love our children. We live for the macaroni necklaces and charred pancakes in bed. And it’s not a cliché to say those things our kids do make it all worthwhile, because they mean more than we can say. But think about the woman you used to be, before the kids and husbands and the worrying. Think about brunch when you were childless compared to the ones you have now. Then ask yourself, "Are two carving stations, omelets to order and watered-down Bloody Marys the kind of party I crave when it comes to enjoying my special day, my way?"
If the answer is ‘Hell No,’ and the sheer thought of it has you clenching and pursing already, consider the Saturday before Mother’s Day, Mother’s Night, as an alternative, or even an add-on, this year.
Who says moms can’t have two things?
Party Like a Mother.
In our estimation, Mother’s Night should be a time for you and your spouse, and better yet, other moms and couples, to get together for an evening of revelry and commemoration of your role as matriarch. This way, even the spouses win, they’re in this with you, after all. Think little black dress, great food, drink and merriments; a proper celebration commensurate with your experience as a grown woman who dedicates her life to making the world go around for other humans.
What Mother's Night Could Be,
if you let it happen. Tone up or down as desired. It's your night and you've earned it.
Maybe there's even dancing for your Mother's Night! Again, ask yourself, "When was the last time I went dancing?" Weddings don't count. Answer truthfully, and don’t be shocked. Just accept it as a teaching moment. This is only one of many perfect reasons why Mom’s Night should become a thing. It should be a night of rejoicing you and your family values, without the whole family, unless of course, your kids are mature enough to enjoy (or at least tolerate) your grown-ass hijinks. Hijinks are a sure sign you’ve done Mother’s Night right, and kids who enjoy it are a sign you’ve done kids right, too.
In the end, Mother’s Night is your family’s way of telling you, “Hey, we cherish you enough to dedicate a Saturday night to only you Mom, go nuts!” You get to trade your Prosecco and salad bar for Mojitos (or Tequila, or Bourbon), and the modest spring sundress for heels that’ll make your date blush like the old days. That’s the kind of TLC we’re talking about.
You’ll likely have a proper hangover, but not to worry, that’s what Sunday is for. Because by then, it will be Mother’s Day.
Amazing Mother's Day breakfast in bed. Total Mother's Night cure.
