Seven Things Moms of Small Kids Really Want this Mother's Day

Seven Things Moms of Small Kids Really Want this Mother's Day

April 22, 2022

Every mom is different, and if there’s one thing I’m learning is that every stage of motherhood requires you to become a different kind of mom as well. I am currently a mom of a toddler and a preschooler (1.5 and 4) and I thought it might be helpful to share my perspective on how best to love and care for the moms in your life with young kids this mother’s day. Here are my picks to celebrate this messy, loud, exciting, exhausting phase of parenting (you can see our curated collection of cards and gifts here).

Handmade card of a round hand mirror with a gold frame and flowers reflected in it that says "If Only You Could See What I See" for new moms, people struggling with self esteem or low confidence, friends or teens who need encouragement.

1. Validation

 The phrase that goes through my head more than any other is: “I need a nap.” After that, the song on repeat in my head is, “Am I doing this right?” If you can offer the mom you are celebrating a vote of confidence, I’m guessing it will go a long way in reassuring her as she navigates this time.

A mother's or father's day or thank you card with a black and silver woodcut image of a parent reading to a child on a couch.
2. Gratitude 
Who doesn’t love to be thanked for work that is often thankless?
A woman slicing tomatoes with a red Generous Kitchen Towel with a screenprinted tomato design on it in the foreground.
3. An Easy Meal
Not all moms do all the cooking, of course. I only do half in my house and it still feels like way too much. Give a mom a break from multitasking and picky eating with a gift card for a meal delivery service. Gift it with a Generous Kitchen Towel so that when cooking commences again, she can do it in style.
Letterpress woodcut art print of smooth stone beach on a blue lake with a white moon made with hand-carved woodblocks that says "It's Always Quiet Somewhere".
4. Peace and Quiet
One of the patience-testing aspects of life with small kids in the house is that the daily general volume is cranked way up. One of our Heartell customers put it best when she said, "As a working parent living in a city, there's a lot of chaos and noise in my life. Sometimes it really starts to get to me, and I feel like if I hear one more horn honking I'm going to lose it. I hung this beautiful print right above my bedside table to bring me a sense of calm and quiet where I need it most." -Anna
Digital art print designed using hand-carved woodblocks of a tree and a path in the woods in green and pink that says "A Walk in the Woods."
5. Time Alone 
I am an introvert and the hardest thing about being a parent for me is constantly having other people around. Not having time to recharge wears on me over time, but if I can take an hour or two and be alone outside, I come back feeling refreshed and ready to enjoy my kids and the love they are always ready to share with me.
Art print designed using hand-carved woodblocks with a woodcut image of a field of wildflowers with coneflowers, poppies, queen anne's lace and black-eyed susans in ochre, red, lilac, pink and yellow.
6. Flowers/Plants that Don’t Need Watering, Won’t Die and Don't Need to be Cleaned Up
A fresh bouquet is classic but these wildflowers will last a lot longer and can’t be spilled on the rug by a stray toe kick or jumpshot.
A letterpress printed thank you card made with hand-carved woodblocks on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with an image of a hand filling a wine glass from a bottle in a burgundy color that reads "grateful".
7. Wine
This was one of our first Heartell card designs and it is still going strong. You're grateful for her, she's grateful for wine...it pretty much says it all. :)

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