Thu. May 10, 2007
By Feature Column
It is tough being Mom. A mom's work is never done. Even holidays, while the rest of the family is relaxing in front of the plasma, Mom's are slaving away: wrapping gifts on Christmas, preparing turkeys on Thanksgiving, hiding eggs on Easter.
The second Sunday of May is the only true day of rest for Mom. It's also the one day of the year when gay sons and daughters are required to show their gratitude to the number one lady in their lives. Of course, as gay children, you should be showing your love and gratitude every day of the year. We are statistically better children than our straight siblings. But Mother's Day is the one day of the year to really go over the top with your love for mom. Jane Rave, mother of a gay son and author of Conversations and Cosmopolitans: How To Give Your Mother a Hangover, offers tips on how to make sure that Mom enjoys her special day.
Call Your Mother.
One Mother's Day after presenting me with my yearly bouquet of beautiful flowers, my son Robert returned back to his apartment in New York City. As I always do, I asked him to call me when he got home so that I knew that he was safe and sound. Hours came and went, and nothing. As it approached midnight, I began to panic. I had read about these mysterious disappearances before and imagined him lying helplessly in a dark alley somewhere. Needless to say, I finally tracked him down, with the help of his doorman, as he walked in with a "guest". Now, of course, I was relieved that Robert was alive and well, but for putting me through a night of unnecessary panic, I could have killed him.
Offer Mother Something New to Dote Over.
The Mother's Day before Robert left for college, he bought me a puppy. He knew I was having a difficult time with the thought of his leaving the nest and figured a dog might fill up some of the emptiness I was feeling. When I first set eyes on the furry little creature, I remember thinking, "Oh great, just what I need; another thing to clean up after". It didn't take long, however, to discover that the animal agreed with everything I had to say and never talked back. He was always eagerly waiting for me when I got home and never asked to borrow money. And, if truth be told, the dog was much cleaner than Robert.
Jane Rave's new book CONVERSATIONS AND COSMOPOLITANS: How To Give Your Mother A Hangover, co-written with her gay son Robert, is in stores now. For more information, visit www.convosandcosmos.com.
Buy COSMOPOLITANS: How To Give Your Mother A Hangover at shop.chicagopride.com
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