-
- May 2007
Say thanks to Mom this weekend
by Thein Huynh
24 Hours, In The City, Columnist
-
Almost
30 per cent of Canadians do their Mother's Day shopping less than one week
in advance, according to a recent survey by Leger Marketing.
What do you get the woman that gave you the gift of life? Flowers are boring
and don't try cooking unless you're an Iron Chef. I made my mom breakfast
one year and ended up giving her indigestion for Mother's Day.
Fortunately, moms like anything. I once took a rock and painted it for
Mother's Day. She loved it and still uses it as a paperweight, even one year
later. Now imagine giving a painted rock for Father's Day. Dad would be
like, "This rock better come with steak, yo."
The only thing that will disappoint mom is if you forget. Growing up in the
city, it's hard to forget my mom. Whenever I pass by Chinatown, I remember
how the roasted pig carcasses in the windows used to freak me out. Mom would
buy me a hotdog to make me feel better.
I also see my mom in the eyes of the all the mothers headed to work every
morning on the bus.
-
-
My mom came to Canada as a university grad. But to earn money for the
family, she worked as a seamstress. At night, she studied at Skills for
Change, a job training centre for immigrant women.
By the time she graduated from the program, this ESL seamstress was now
reading Jane Eyre and scored a job with a top insurance firm. All the while
she tirelessly continued to cook, clean and look after the family.
As I've gotten older, she still takes care of me. For instance, when I first
got this column, she looked concerned when I said it was a freelance gig.
One night, she brought out a huge scrapbook of all my columns. Curiously,
there was money clipped to each article.
"You write these articles for freelance, so I help you save money," she
explained.
"No mom; freelance doesn't mean I write for free!" I laughed. "But how come
there's $100 on some articles and $50 on others?"
"Not all your articles are good."
This weekend, treat your mom to something nice like the Mother's Day Royal
Brunch at Casa Loma or the Mariposa Mother's Day Cruise. She certainly
deserves more than just a painted rock.
But sometimes, the best gift is to simply say, "Thanks Mom."
