This Mother’s Day is special because there are many of us spending lots of time with our mothers due to the lockdown. Maybe after a really long time. Those of us not actually staying with them are FaceTiming or using video WhatsApp calls to talk to each other 3 or 4 times a week, if not every day.

Which makes me believe even more firmly that even the darkest cloud always has a silver lining.

With purchasing gifts practically impossible due to the lockdown, and perspectives on life changing all around us, let’s celebrate this Mother’s Day in a different way.

Here are five things that you can do for your mother this Mother’s Day.

Write a letter

Write a thank you letter, mind you not a note, to your mother and give it to her on Mother’s Day. Try to be specific – an incident, a characteristic or some cherished time you spent together. If you are staying together, you should try writing a physical letter. Or simply send a WhatsApp message.

And while you are at it, why don’t you use Canva or some other app to design it.

Research has shown that writing letters of gratitude increase your happiness level.

Teach her a new skill

There are so many things that you can teach her. Say, use her mobile better. Think of things like making really awesome photo collages, creating videos out of images, recording audios, etc.

These all are skills that I have learnt from my own daughter at some point of time, who is just in class 8. Come to think of it, she has not even attended a single day of school in class 8 due to the lock down!!

Gift her an online course

Don’t despair if you are not staying with her to teach her something in person. With sites like SkillShare giving out free access during the lock down, gift her the tools necessary to start the new hobby she had always been meaning to start.

If I can use them to enable my daughter to learn photography and illustrations, I think it can be turned the other way round as well.

Track her friend and set up a call

How many times have you heard your mother talking wistfully about a friend she lost touch with after school or college?

And you telling her – why don’t you just look for her on Facebook?

Why don’t you do it for her this once and look at her face with full of disbelief and excitement as you hand over the mobile with her friend on the other end.

I can tell you from experience there is nothing like this because very recently I tracked a friend of mine after a gap of 5 years and ended up talking for more than one and half hours. And even then we stopped only because my kids had arrived back after their playtime.

I had not tried to track her very diligently because I feared the worst – that she had moved away from social media because she was in some trouble!! So that might be the reason your mother is also not trying to find a long lost friend.

Let her relax and enjoy the way she wants

Please do not decide for her.

First ask her how she would like to relax, if you genuinely want her to do that on Mother’s day. And if her idea of relaxation is cooking your favourite sweet dish, just let her do.

I tell this from experience of being a mother. The moment my daughters – supported in no small measure by my hubby – say that today you will not work because it’s Mother’s day, I feel like I would blow up like Bomb of Angry Bird movie.

Why? Don’t ask me, think yourself……

Because a mother should be treated specially not just one day of the year but every. single. day.