Guidepost Magazine asked us to share our thoughts on Mother’s Day. You can read the full article here. The most important takeaway is this, “The key is to find your own particular sweet spot, even if it means honoring yourself and your mother separately or marking the holiday on a different date entirely…If that day on the calendar isn’t a day that makes sense to have a get-together or some fun event, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be on Mother’s Day…If life circumstances are particularly challenging this May, pick a day in June when whatever crisis or challenge you’re facing has subsided a bit.”

Mother’s Day can be incredibly challenging for:

daughters without mothers

daughters of sick or aging mothers

mothers in the sandwich

and so many others.

Seek connection, not perfection. Honor your feelings. Focus on what’s positive in your life and relationships – no matter how small. And stay the heck off social media for the day!

What works for me, is to focus on others. My mother died in 2014. As I wrote in Next Avenue following her death, “I choose to honor my mother by advocating for the women who care for their mothers, and fathers, and aunts, uncles and neighbors…We must lean on our legislators to put programs in place that will help. We need to fund caregiver support programs that provide information, assistance, counseling and respite for caregivers. We need businesses to consider elder care assistance programs; long-term insurance for parents, in-laws and grandparents; backup elder care services and paid time off for doctor’s visits and emergencies. We need family, friends and neighbors to recognize the impact of elder care on primary caregivers.”

Happy Mother’s Day Working Daughters.