When I was an elementary school student, the advent of any commemorative day was sure to be closely followed by a heated and oftentimes righteous debate on the inappropriateness of selecting one particular day out of three hundred and sixty five days to dedicate to our ideals, and whether we ought not to do away with the habit altogether.

It was downright confusing for us kids because we not only had to prepare carefully choreographed odes to our mothers and make them heart-shaped cards every year, but at the same time listen to self-assured individuals who proclaimed that if we weren’t such irresponsible kids for the rest of the year, we wouldn’t have to put in so much extra effort on Mother’s Day.

Well, over the years I have come to my own self-assured conclusion that being a responsible son or daughter all year round has nothing to do with the zeal and energy you put into making this day special for your mother. What matters is not how much you’re able to accomplish this day, but that you believe that this day belongs to your mother, and that no mere household chore is going to take it away from her.

Mother’s Day needs to be celebrated, not because we kids are too busy to acknowledge our inexpressible gratitude on a regular basis, but because a day out of the year to spend as they like is after all a pretty fabulous present to give to our overworked mothers. And frankly, why would anyone want to take that away from them?

A mother is a beautiful, selfless being who watches over you and sacrifices her most passionate desires to accommodate each accidental, childish whim. She’s a beacon of hope and happiness for you so that when you’re surrounded by the cold, impersonal realities of society, you can turn towards her and in her loving eyes find reason and significance in your existence. She’s all that and more — she is a human like you, and like you, she too was once a child.

It is difficult to think of adults, especially your parents, as being carefree children like you, fooling around and acting goofy.

It doesn’t help that every time your mother or your father sit you down to listen to a story from their past, they come off as incorruptible, diligent and persevering so that you may find in them an accessible role model and a motivation to succeed.

But think of your mother, that warm glowing woman who cooks your meals, does the dishes and irons the clothes, as a 10 or 11-year-old. At some point she gave up the freedom of youth and took charge of a household. And she’d do it all over again.

Mother’s Day is a chance for you kids to show that you understand this sacrifice, and that your mother means as much to you as you do to her.

While Mother’s Day does owe much of its hype to social welfare and gender reform groups who so kindly remind us each second Sunday of May to pay our respects to our dear mothers, there, nevertheless, is the hand of big businesses and corporations in the making of it. I know that several people are deeply unsettled by this commercialisation and they vehemently oppose spending money on the eve of Mother’s Day just because they don’t want consumers to suffer the unrelenting shock of the price hike. They do have a pretty good point; come Mother’s Day and the price of everything that could possibly be turned into a gift or a greeting just reaches for the sky. Roses, cards, gift mugs and photo frames — everything with sentimental and aesthetic value suddenly gets a new price tag.

The rip-off is infuriating, but there’s no reason to use that as an excuse of not getting your mother a gift. You can buy your Mother’s Day present beforehand, like late March or early April. If you must get her fresh flowers or something edible, you can start saving your money earlier on in the year. A present can be just anything — it doesn’t have to be expensive or bought from a classy shop — it is your gesture that is important.

A Mother’s Day present is like the first drop of rain on drought land. Day after day of cleaning up after a child and keeping track of his or her mishaps takes its toll on a mother’s nerves. Just when she’s surrendered to the idea that all she does is going to be taken for granted forever, Mother’s Day arrives. Hello, what’s this? There’s a package on the bedside table! It says, “Love, from your son and daughter.”

In short, a good Mother’s Day present speaks volumes of how much you really pay attention to your mother, and how she too can depend on you to make her feel better. Just because your mother is thrifty about spending money on herself, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing she wants as much as you wanted that train set for your birthday. Maybe, like my mother, she likes to read. Or maybe she really pines for a new handbag or a pair of shoes. It’s up to you to find out and get it for her! To be able to make your mother feel as special as she makes you feel every other day, that must be the best gesture of love and gratitude out there.

Mother’s Day doesn’t necessarily have to pull on your purse strings. There are plenty of other ways to make your mother feel special without getting her something fancy with a quadruple digit price. Get her fresh flowers from the garden (don’t act so innocent, you’ve picked them before), and make your very own bouquet! Or better yet, you can surprise her with breakfast in bed — don’t go for anything too complex, you don’t want to defeat the purpose by leaving a mess for her to clean up later on.

Mothers love it when their children create things — my own mother has kept every piece of drawing I ever made, since back when I was in kindergarten. So why don’t you grab a box of colours  and make her a nice big card. It doesn’t have to be single-fold. In fact, you can go nuts with it. It doesn’t have to confirm with anybody’s specifications. Just keep in mind what your mother really likes. For example, my mother loves books, flowers and birds. I’d try to make her a fabulous garden cover and inscribe a few lines of her favourite poetry. You can even do away with a card altogether and make her crepe-paper flowers or clay models. These decorative items will remain cherished reminders of your affectionate endeavours for years to come.

There is, however, one thing that you can do that day, and every day of the year, which won’t take too much effort or time, is to give her a big hug and tell her how much you love her. This would make her the happiest.

So take a while and think of things you can do to make your mother feel happy, proud and special. If you like, you can all share your own Mother’s Day ideas on YW and narrate how well you were able to pull it off. And finally, to every mother I wish a very happy Mother’s Day!