Why mothers are ungrateful

A study has revealed that most mums don't want breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. Tania Cammarano asks why.

You've baked the croissants, juiced the oranges, made the raspberry preserves and set the tray with dainty crockery, silver cutlery and pretty flowers.

You're ready to serve the woman that gave birth to you a sumptuous breakfast made with love and care. But have you ever stopped to think about whether your mum actually wants breakfast in bed?

Apparently, she doesn't. A recent survey out of the US has revealed that almost 70 per cent of all mothers don't want to break the fast in bed on Mother's Day.

They would rather sleep in or have time to themselves.

Selfish aren't they?

I mean there you are, poor put upon adult-child who does pretty much nothing for them all year long, the one time you want to shower them in affection with a great morning feast, they don't want it.

And they don't even tell you they don't want it. They let you find out via a survey of 1,500 American women commissioned by none other than baked goods company Dunkin' Donuts.

Just who do these people think they are?

Mothers, that's who. They cook for you, clean for you, worry about you, pay your bills if you ask them too and make sure you're planning on getting married. And if you're not planning marriage, they make sure you're fully aware that you'll end up old and alone with only cats and tea cosies to keep you warm.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like mothers. I have one myself. All my best friends are mothers. The point is, upon reflection, if mothers prefer sleep and rest to a stunning breakfast fit for a queen, there must be something else going on.

If we look at that survey again, we find that 93 per cent of mothers try to do more than one thing at once at meal time, 20 per cent don't have time for any sort of breakfast, let alone one in bed, and 80 per cent said, if they had an extra hour a day, they would feel torn between spending it with their children or relaxing by themselves.

Interestingly, less than 20 per cent said they would spend that time with their beloved partner.

All this leads us to the conclusion that mum would probably love breakfast in bed if she wasn't so busy juggling tasks, feeling guilty about wanting to spend time alone and trying to avoid her other half.

So I guess the best thing we can do for our mums this Mother's Day is commit to helping them more in their day-to-day lives.

We could still bake them a cake or make them breakfast, lunch or brunch or whatever - but let them rest first.

And next Mother's Day, when you present them with a lavish four course breakfast extravaganza at 6am, they will not be so ungrateful.

Source: Taste.com.au