Last Updated on February 28, 2024
One of the joys of having adult children is getting to hang out with my kids and be friends. I’m still learning not to give advice and opinions unless asked, but for the most part we do well together. Especially all the girls.
Three years ago I organized a girls only weekend over Mother’s Day weekend so I could pamper my daughters, especially the three who were swamped with eight little ones between them, all 6 and under. I knew they’d get more of a real Mother’s Day break than if they were home with husbands and kids. That’s a no-brainer, right? We stayed at a home in Memphis that was made available to us for free and I took the five who were able to come out for meals, brought them all matching pajama pants and tops so they could relax as long as they wanted, and listened to them laugh and tell stories about their lives. I loved it all.
This May I planned a repeat gathering on the first weekend of the month. Coordinating schedules now that there are kids in school and everyone is in different life stages was a challenge. Only four of the six could come, but once again we had a great time. We stayed this time at a friend’s house while they were out of town, so the expenses were minimal again. My daughter-in-law Stephanie, mother of three, just wandered around the house and yard the first night. She was decompressing. But by the end of the weekend she was rested and refreshed. The same was true of Ashley, who is mom to five boys. Some of the moms slept in until 10 a.m. which they can never do at home. This time I bought them matching flip flops with rhinestone straps. We brought our own nail products and did at-home manicures and pedicures. I loved pampering my hard-working girls once again.
Mother’s Day is over for this year, but it’s never too late to pamper the weary young moms in your life. And if you don’t have a mom who can do this for you, plan a short weekend or even a 24-hour getaway with a group of friends. My daughter, Ashley, did this recently with her close friends because one of them was moving away. They came to my house while we were out of town. I left the house mostly clean, made a breakfast casserole for Saturday morning and had plenty of coffee and tea for late night chatting. They loved their time away even though it was too short and they left my house tired from staying up till 2 a.m.
Girl time is so important for young moms, so treat your daughters if you can, or plan a getaway with friends if that is best. Friendships are fuel for moms at all stages of life.
Barbara Rainey is the Co-Founder of FamilyLife, the mother of six and a grandmother to 18 – she is also a mentor and friend to countless women in the United States online loans and abroad. She is a gifted communicator – and artist – who has created, and continues to create, resources that help parents and children connect and impress on their hearts the truth of God’s word. Barbara is the Titus 2 woman we all long to spend time learning from and will embolden you to spend time in the word and be a world changer, while prioritizing family – she will inspire and empower!
Love this post. I don't have a mom to do this for me but I plan to tuck this memory away so that I can someday do this for my daughters-in-law. It sounds heavenly to this mother of six sons!
I am an adult daughter who was recently adopted and I am trying to bond with my mom we use to be really close and now that we have been through the adult adoption we seem to have fallen apart. it almost makes me feel like we should have never done it. Now on the other hand my dad her husban and I are very close he is the perfect father to me we have a great father daughter relationship I am a mommys girl and I am scared that we will never be close again. do you have any advice or help for me???