Special Day with Mom | Family Economics

By Lynnae

When I was a little girl, there was one day I looked forward to every summer: my special day with mom. You see, I grew up as the oldest of four children, and it was sometimes difficult to spend one-on-one time with my mom.

My mom was a wise woman and knew that she needed to connect with each one of us individually, so the “special day with mom” was born.

Each summer, she would set aside one day for each of us. On our special day, she would give us a small amount of money, usually $10, and we could do anything we wanted.

Looking back, I remember going to a matinee one year. Another year we went to the mall and I blew my money on a toy. And then there was the year we went to Coco’s (a local restaurant) for hot fudge sundaes.

No matter what we did, I remember treasuring that time with my mom. And since I had my mom's undivided attention for the entire day, lots of deep conversations took place on that day. I'm sure my mom enjoyed these conversations, especially as I grew into a teenager and became too busy (or too cool) to spend time talking with my parents.

Because I enjoy the memories of my “special day with mom” so much, I now do the same thing with my kids.

These days, families are busy, and if you don't carve out time to purposefully slow down and spend one-on-one time with your children, you'll often lose those opportunities. “Special day with mom” is a frugal way to make sure you connect with your kids every summer, and that one day can set the tone for communication with your children in the months to come.