Mums reveal what they really want for Mother’s Day

A poll of many mums found that, more than anything else, 51 per cent simply wish for quality time with their partner and children this mothering Sunday. Exactly a quarter don’t have enough spare time to spend with their kids due to work taking over (65 per cent), having too many chores (58 per cent) and not enough hours in the day (46 per cent).

As a result, 16 per cent are keen to make new memories with their sons and daughters on March 19th. Free time was also cited as one of the Mother’s Day must-haves as 58 per cent wish they generally had more of this – with 40 per cent getting an hour or less to themselves each evening.

The research, of 2000 mams, was commissioned by Moonpig, which teamed up with LEGO to create the ‘Time Tokens for Mum’ booklet – available with any of its product purchased from the card retailer.

The tokens feature a series of blank vouchers for partners and kids to fill out, giving mums free time to enjoy however they want.

Erica Tain, senior gifts buyer at Moonpig:

“With everything they do for us, it’s important that the mother figures in our lives feel special on Mother’s Day. So, if they just want some quality time with family or simply time away from their busy schedules, let’s give them exactly that. The ‘Time Tokens for Mum’ booklet is a playful way to give them some moments of their own and enjoy the day their way.”

During a typical week, mums will spend an average of one hour and 16 minutes tidying the house, 53 minutes cleaning the bathroom and 54 minutes helping children with homework. A further hour is spent taxiing their offspring to places they need to be, while they dedicate 66 minutes each week to getting them ready for school.

But even those who share the load with a partner admit they still find themselves with too much to do (73 per cent). Although 82 per cent said tag-teaming is the key to managing life admin, holding down a job as well as parenting.