11/05/2025

ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2025 theSunday Special IV

Unconditional love, always

Mums don’t ask for much, but they give everything. This Mother’s Day, we look at ways to celebrate the incredible woman who gave you life, love and possibly that slightly dramatic streak

BY SIMON VELLA

T HERE’S no job quite like being D PXP 6KH¶V \RXU ¿UVW FKHHU OHDGHU FRQILGDQWH WKHUDSLVW QXUVH QHJRWLDWRU FKHI 3$ DQG RFFDVLRQDOO\ \RXU VWHUQHVW FULWLF 7KURXJK DOO RI LW VKH¶V WKH ZRPDQ ZKRVH ORYH GRHVQ¶W FRPH ZLWK WHUPV FRQGLWLRQV or monthly instalments. F URP VFKRRO GURS RIIV DQG GRFWRU¶V YLVLWV WR KHDUWEUHDN SHS WDONV DQG FDUHHU DGYLFH D PRWKHU¶V VXSSRUW V\VWHP UXQV TXLHWO\ LQ WKH EDFNJURXQG UHOHQWOHVV DQG LQYLVLEOH OLNH WKH :L)L RQO\ IDU PRUH UHOL DEOH 6R ZKHQ 0RWKHU¶V 'D\ UROOV DURXQG ZK\ QRW SXW LQ WKH H̆ RUW WR PDNH KHU IHHO VHHQ KHDUG DQG IRU RQFH ZDLWHG RQ" L HW¶V EH KRQHVW VKH¶V SUREDEO\ DOUHDG\ told you not to get her anything. “I don’t QHHG DQ\WKLQJ ´ VKH¶OO VD\ ZDYLQJ \RXU LGHDV DZD\ ZLWK WKH VDPH KDQG WKDW XVHG WR ¿[ \RXU FROODU EHIRUH VFKRRO %XW KHUH¶V WKH WUXWK LW¶V QRW DERXW H[WUDYDJDQW JLIWV ,W¶V DERXW DWWHQWLRQ 7KRXJKW 7LPH $ reminder that everything she does hasn’t JRQH XQQRWLFHG A picnic it is I I \RX¶UH SODQQLQJ VRPHWKLQJ ODWHU LQ WKH GD\ FRQVLGHU VNLSSLQJ WKH XVXDO UHVWDX UDQW UXQ DQG RSWLQJ IRU VRPHWKLQJ PRUH SHUVRQDO OLNH D SLFQLF ,W GRHVQ¶W QHHG WR EH HODERUDWH $ IHZ RI KHU IDYRXULWH GLVKHV D FRPIRUWDEOH EODQNHW DQG D VKDG\ VSRW DW D ORFDO SDUN ZLOO GR MXVW ¿QH ,Q .XDOD /XPSXU SODFHV OLNH 7DPDQ 7XJX 'HVD 3DUN&LW\ RU 3HUGDQD %RWDQLFDO *DUGHQV RIIHU D ORYHO\ VHWWLQJ HVSHFLDOO\ LI \RX JHW WKHUH EHIRUH WKH PLGGD\ KHDW NLFNV LQ ,I PXP¶V QRW NHHQ RQ WKH RXWGRRUV D OLYLQJ URRP SLFQLF ZLWK FDQGOHV DQG IDPLO\ Then it’s time to bring out the big guns: D YLGHR WULEXWH *DWKHU IDPLO\ IULHQGV QHLJKERXUV DQG DQ\RQH ZKR NQRZV KHU DQG DVN WKHP WR UHFRUG VKRUW FOLSV GHVFULELQJ WKHLU IDYRXULWH PHPRULHV ZLWK KHU RU ZKDW WKH\ DGPLUH PRVW DERXW KHU 6WLWFK WKHP WRJHWKHU ZLWK D ELW RI PXVLF DQG D KHDUWIHOW SKRWRV ZRUNV MXVW DV ZHOO Feeling sentimental?

HQFRXUDJH KHU WR VSHQG D IHZ KRXUV GRLQJ VRPHWKLQJ VKH ORYHV XQLQWHUUXSWHG ,W VKRZV \RX SD\ DWWHQWLRQ WR WKH WKLQJV WKDW PDWWHU WR KHU RXWVLGH RI IDPLO\ OLIH DQG \HV \RX¶OO VFRUH PDVVLYH EURZQLH SRLQWV ZLWK her bestie too. $V IRU ZKDW QRW WR GR $YRLG GLVDSSHDULQJ ZLWK \RXU PDWHV ELQJHLQJ RQ VSRUWV DOO GD\ RU JLIWLQJ KHU VRPHWKLQJ WKDW EHQH¿WV \RX WRR ORRNLQJ DW \RX ³IDPLO\ EOHQGHU´ 'RQ¶W IRUJHW WKH RWKHU PRWKHUV LQ \RXU OLIH \RXU PRWKHU LQ ODZ RU DQ\ ZRPDQ ZKR¶V SOD\HG D QXUWXULQJ UROH 2QH ERXTXHW JRHV D ORQJ ZD\ LQ NHHSLQJ IDPLO\ :KDWV$SS JURXSV KDSS\ U OWLPDWHO\ LW GRHVQ¶W PDWWHU ZKHWKHU \RX JR ELJ RU NHHS LW VLPSOH $ KDQGZULWWHQ QRWH D FXS RI WHD PDGH ZLWKRXW EHLQJ DVNHG RU MXVW D GD\ ZKHUH VKH JHWV WR EH KHUVHOI QRW D WR GR OLVW LQ KXPDQ IRUP FDQ PHDQ WKH ZRUOG S KH¶V QHYHU DVNHG IRU PXFK -XVW \RXU KDSSLQHVV \RXU KHDOWK DQG WKH RFFDVLRQDO FDOO EDFN 7KLV 0RWKHU¶V 'D\ JLYH KHU D OLWWOH VRPHWKLQJ H[WUD LQ UHWXUQ ± \RXU WLPH \RXU JUDWLWXGH DQG D TXLHW PRPHQW ZKHUH VKH IHHOV DEVROXWHO\ XWWHUO\ ORYHG

-XVW PDNH VXUH \RX FOHDQ XS DIWHU 7KH ODVW WKLQJ PXP QHHGV LV WR HPHUJH IURP KHU QDS DQG ¿QG WKH OLYLQJ URRP ORRNLQJ OLNH D FUDIW H[SORVLRQ T KHUH¶V DOVR VRPHWKLQJ EHDXWLIXO DERXW KHOSLQJ KHU UHFRQQHFW ZLWK KHUVHOI $U UDQJH D EUXQFK ZLWK KHU EHVW IULHQG RU

ending and you’ve got something that may MXVW HDUQ \RX ³FKLOG RI WKH \HDU´ ,I WKDW¶V WRR WHFK\ JR DQDORJXH :ULWH D OLVW WLWOHG ³/HVVRQV , /HDUQHG IURP 0XP´ )UDPH it or better yet, read it aloud over dinner. 7HDUV DUH JXDUDQWHHG HVSHFLDOO\ LI \RXU VLEOLQJV FKLS LQ WKHLU RZQ FRQWULEXWLRQV Show your world &RQVLGHU WDNLQJ KHU WR \RXU ZRUNSODFH LI \RX ZDQW WR GR VRPHWKLQJ XQH[SHFWHG ,W PLJKW VRXQG RGG EXW JLYLQJ KHU D JOLPSVH into your daily routine – the desk you VLW DW WKH FROOHDJXHV \RX VSHDN RI WKH SULQWHU WKDW¶V QHYHU ZRUNLQJ FDQ EH GHHSO\ PHDQLQJIXO ,W FRQQHFWV KHU WR \RXU DGXOW OLIH HVSHFLDOO\ LI \RX¶UH QR ORQJHU OLYLQJ DW KRPH $IWHUZDUGV WDNH KHU RXW IRU D ORQJ OXQFK DQG OHW KHU EH SDUW RI \RXU ZRUOG IRU D FKDQJH Now, a quick word to all the dads 0RWKHU¶V 'D\ LVQ¶W MXVW D GD\ IRU NLGV WR FHOHEUDWH WKHLU PXP ,W¶V DOVR DERXW WKH PRWKHU RI \RXU FKLOGUHQ DQG VKH GHVHUYHV MXVW DV PXFK WKRXJKWIXOQHVV /HW KHU VOHHS LQ .HHS WKH NLGV EXV\ 2UJDQLVH D PLQL SDPSHULQJ VHVVLRQ %HWWHU \HW VQHDN WKH FKLOGUHQ DZD\ WR PDNH D SKRWR DOEXP D KDQGPDGH FDUG RU D TXLFN SDLQWLQJ SURMHFW

Let her sleep in. Keep the kids busy.