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 didn’t receive anything, 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 loves the meaning behind it: it reminds her of her role as a mother, especially during the early childhood period.
“I’m nostalgic,” said the 36-year-old woman. I keep in a box all the gifts made by the children, but I take a picture of them beforehand, to be sure to keep track of them. »
Véronique Garneau also loves the gifts made by her daughter Alice, 7, for Mother’s Day: she particularly appreciates the pride of her daughter, 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 I use the coaster she gave me two years ago, or even 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 to mention Mother’s Day. “It’s a tradition,” says her mother, Kathleen Couillard. We are always eager to see the adjectives he has found. »
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 always shows me what she got and I do the same on Father’s Day. And sometimes it hangs around for a few weeks in the backpack so you see them anyway! “, he says, laughing.
Some mothers confess that they don’t “keep it all up”…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.
What if those homemade treats 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 how much these parties 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 the value is associated with these parties. Why do we hold on 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 you try to create things out of recyclables, it ends up being more wasteful,” she says. 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 ever breakfast in bed,” she says emotionally, noting that it included “even coffee.”
