Mother’s Day | The handmade gifts mom is waiting for

A heart-shaped card, a macaroni bracelet, tissue paper flowers… The gifts made by children at school and daycare on the occasion of Mother’s Day will soon land in the hands of their recipients . A tradition that is however reconsidered by some.

“If I received nothing, I would be disappointed! Can I say that? »

Julie Trudeau-Aubin, mother of boys aged 2, 5 and 7, loves to receive gifts made by her children. She likes the concern of wanting to please, the skills and the creativity deployed. She also likes the meaning behind it: it reminds her of her role as a mother, especially during the period of infancy.

“I’m nostalgic,” said the 36-year-old woman. I keep all the gifts made by the children in a box, but I take a picture of them beforehand, to be sure to keep track of them. »

Véronique Garneau also likes the gifts given by her daughter Alice, 7, for Mother’s Day: she particularly appreciates her daughter’s pride, always happy to give her her works. “It’s especially his attitude afterwards that makes me laugh a lot,” said Victoriaville’s mother. She makes sure that I use the coaster she gave me two years ago, or that I wear the bracelet I made last year… even if it rubs off on my skin! »

Samuel, 12, has developed an expertise in acrostic poems: for the past five years, he has been giving one to each member of his family on birthdays, not forgetting Mother’s Day. “It’s a tradition,” says her mother, Kathleen Couillard. We can’t wait to see the adjectives he came up with. »

Separated from the mother of his children, Gabriele Ricci, a 38-year-old Montrealer, is always happy to take a look at the creations of their 5 and 7-year-old daughters. “On Mother’s Day, my ex-spouse always shows me what she received and I do the same on Father’s Day. And sometimes it drags a few weeks in the backpack so we see them anyway! “, he says, laughing.

Some mothers confide in not “keeping everything”… without any guilt. Mother of four children aged 10 and under, Anne-Marie Paquet talks about the question of space. “It’s just impossible to keep everything, and then, we’ll tell each other, sometimes it’s hard to know what it is exactly,” laughs the resident of Gatineau, thinking of certain drawings or crafts made. by his tribe.

DIY reconsidered

What if these little homemade gifts were to disappear? With the breakdown of families and new family models, teachers and educators are asking the question.

Kindergarten teacher in Chomedey, Laval, Annie Girard made this DIY activity optional last year – and it will be the same this year, says the one who has been teaching for 14 years.

Owner of a pre-kindergarten in Saint-Eustache, Anie Laplante is not quite there… but she is thinking about it. “I still do activities related to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other holidays like Easter and Christmas, but I do them backwards,” she says.

She recalls to what extent these celebrations are part of a traditional setting… but that things have changed and that it no longer corresponds to the profiles and environment of her little ones. “I wonder what is the value associated with these parties. Why do we stick to it? And why do you have to join this? What is the meaning and relevance? For me, it’s becoming more and more of a headache, and even a chore. »

Marilyne Bailey, educator in a daycare service in Montreal for more than 20 years, also thinks about the environmental issue of these small DIY projects. “Even if we try to create things from recyclable materials, it ends up being more wasteful,” she points out. And there are limits to what you can do with a carton of milk! »

For Marie-Claude Royer, mother of Raphaëlle, 11, nothing better than a moment shared as a gift. Last year, her daughter offered her a breakfast in bed entirely prepared by her, and her alone. It touched the mother right to the heart. “It was my first breakfast in bed in life”, she admits, moved, specifying that it included “even coffee”.