How Can I Help My Mom?

Dear Dee:

What can I do for my mom to make her not so ... stressed?

I am sure the fact you want to help alleviates some of your mom's stress right off the bat! It's great you recognize she's stretched a little too thin and you want to ease a little of that.

If I were you, I'd focus on the small things. Moms have many, many big responsibilities, and tons of little ones ... little ones that eat up so much time, it puts the larger, more important projects on hold. So helping your mom by taking care of these smaller things would be a sure way to free up some of her time -- even allow her to take a nap sometime!

Small tasks could include emptying the dishwasher, trash, picking up things when you see them out of place, being courteous when taking off your shoes and coat (actually putting them away and not throwing them by the front door). It's these small things that really get taxing for moms and make things seem overwhelming and impossible to manage.

Also, with so many different things going on, it's easy for a mom to feel unappreciated and for her to forget why she does all the things she does. So, remind her with hugs, some kind words (which includes ‘thanks for all you do') and maybe even a foot rub/backrub or a nice tea break.

You'd be surprised how far a little appreciation goes when a mom remembers her chores have purpose and all of her efforts are noticed.