Mother's Day | Celebrate strong women

To us, Mother’s Day is all about celebrating the strongest women in our lives, whether she’s a mother, a step-mum, longing to be a mum, an adoptive mum, single mum, or mum AND dad, every kind of mother-figure deserves to be celebrated on Mother’s Day! In this blog we’ve interviewed 5 colleagues who are highlighting the strongest women in their lives: their best friend, grandma, sister, and mum. Keep reading to discover how the strongest women in their lives shaped their worlds & inspire them each and every day, but especially on Mother’s Day!

25 April 2023 | By Victoria Cowan
Read time: 6 min

Celebrating the strongest women in our lives

ZOË & HER MUM MARIËLLA

How do you show your gratitude for the strongest woman in your life?

I like to show her how much she means to me by doing little things for her. To me this can be any little thing that might make my mum’s life a little easier: from doing the laundry, cleaning the house, cooking a meal or getting her a surprise gift. Making time for her is the most important thing to me, so I like to plan fun things to do together. I am very aware of the fact that not everyone has such a special bond, which is why I feel extremely lucky to have this privilege. 

Describe your bond, and how you keep it strong? How do you nurture your love?

My mum really is my biggest role model in life. She’s not just my mum, she’s also my best friend, sister and one of the sweetest & most unique people in my life. We have a very close relationship and I truly tell her everything. The secret to our bond is that we share everything with each other and enjoy the time we have together, which is why we often plan fun things to do together. This year, for instance, we are going on a girls' trip to Ibiza together, but of course we also do less extreme things. To show her how grateful I am for her, I do surprise her with a poem full of loving words every year. I really am an unapologetic mummy’s girl!

What are your smallest or most loving gestures?

Everything! If mum has a busy week, I try to pick up as much of the slack as possible in the house so she doesn't have to worry about it. I don’t do this because I have to, but because I enjoy doing it for her. Mum and I both like to 'give' and find it harder to 'take', which is why we often do something we know will make the other person happy. The most beautiful gesture of love we have is that we can both be ourselves and we really love being together. Mum is my happy & safe place! 

What does Mother's Day mean to you (and how do you celebrate it)? 

Not a year goes by without us celebrating Mother's Day, although to us every day is Mother's Day! I think it is important to surprise Mum with something that shows my gratitude for her, afterall she’s my alarm clock, chef, taxi driver and listening ear, so I think it is important to surprise her with a meaningful gift. I surprised her once with the mother-daughter bracelet so we can always carry each other close. Finding the perfect gift for someone who already has everything can be tricky, but when I saw the Forever Loved charm necklace, I immediately knew this was meant to be! After all, this necklace symbolises my unconditional love for my mum. I don't think Mother's Day is all about gifts, which is why I always make a special day out of it. Previous years I’ve surprised her with a homemade high tea, dinner and a fun day out. I think it is important to put the strongest woman in my life in the limelight.

 "Always Love "  

Claudia & Her Sister Susanne

Why is your sister the strongest woman in your life? 

For me, my twin sister Susanne is the strongest woman in my life because she is an incredible mum to her two boys, my nephews, Sem, almost 1 and Jim, 3. After giving birth to Jim, my sister developed type 1 diabetes but she never let that get her down, which as a sister I am so proud of! 

Describe your bond, and how you keep it strong? How do you nurture your love?

I think as twins we automatically had a very special bond, and despite being very different we always admired each other's lives (although we wouldn't want to trade them either!) We stay in touch via whatsapp daily and share an interest in fashion, skincare, and now that I work at My Jewellery, jewellery as well. I would say our bond has strengthened over the years, especially since she had the boys because we both love them so much.

What are your smallest or most loving gestures?

We might surprise each other with something small like a delicious brownie or go bigger like a weekend away together. We’re going to Maastricht together soon, and we’re looking forward to just walking around the city, drinking coffee and looking for the best Italian restaurants. This always brings us closer as it reminds us of fun family holidays with our parents. 

What does Mother's Day mean to you (and how do you celebrate it)?

As my sister is also a mum, I always like to give her an appreciative gesture to show her I’m proud of her. This year, I bought my sister a necklace from the Mother's Day special collection. I chose the Believe charm necklace because I love the message behind it: just dream it & believe that good things will come your way. On Mother’s Day, we’ll get together with the family and spend quality time together while we exchange gifts.

 "Dream it. Believe it " 

Joan & Her Grandma

How do you show your gratitude for the strongest woman in your life?

My grandma is the strongest woman in my life, and I show my gratitude to her by visiting often and being together for as long and often as we can. I call her every day to check how she’s doing and ask about her day. She watches the children every Wednesday afternoon and then we all have dinner with her in the evening. Every time I see her or when I leave, I give her a kiss and a hug and say: Thanks Grandma, see you soon!

Describe your bond, and how you keep it strong? How do you nurture your love?

As a little girl, I loved being with grandpa & grandma. Shopping together in town or colouring/crafting at home. When I came to live with my grandparents as a teenager, the bond only got closer. She’s like a grandma and mum to me. She taught me all of life’s lessons and how to deal with other people or situations. When my grandfather passed away, we really supported each other to get through the grief. We’ve always been able to laugh and cry together. When I got pregnant at 19, I was terrified of her reaction but her first words were: 'Did you think I hadn’t noticed? This too will be fine, love.’ She helped me grow as a person and as a mum to my own children. Like me, my own children love being with grandma. We nurtured love by helping each other, supporting each other and knowing we can always count on each other.

What are your smallest or most loving gestures?

Daily phone calls, always being there for each other and, above all, enjoying all the moments we share.

What does Mother's Day mean to you (and how do you celebrate it)? 

Mother's Day is really important as we don't know how many more Mother's Days are to come, so we always make sure to get together & enjoy our time together, sometimes with gifts but not necessarily. We might bring some flowers, but mostly we value just being together and having a bite to eat as a family. Although when I saw the Lucky You charm necklace it did instantly remind me of how lucky I am to have my grandma in my life. Though my children (great-grandchildren for grandma) are the greatest gift to her, she gets so much love and joy from them, and she returns that love to us by always being there for us and loving us all unconditionally. Making memories is the greatest gift we can give each other!

 "Trust is key." 

Eefje & Her Best Friend Frederique

How do you show your gratitude for the strongest woman in your life?

By not taking each other for granted and showing up for each other. After so many wonderful years of friendship we still always express how we are proud of each other and how happy we are about the close bond we have.

 Describe your bond, and how you keep it strong? How do you nurture your love?

We’re deeply connected. Even when we don't have as much time for each other, we always feel connected together. Quality time moments are also important for us, as life is so fleeting sometimes! 

What are your smallest or most loving gestures?

We’re there for each other 24/7, for better or worse! I also received an amazing gift from Frederique with all our memories wrapped in a word painting, which was the ultimate physical gesture of love to me.

What does Mother's Day mean to you (and how do you celebrate it)?
For us, Mother's Day is a beautiful and special day to celebrate the most special people in your life & let them know that you’re there for them. Although of course, we try to do this all year round as well!

 "Inspire, be strong & be bright " 

Tessa & Her Mum Helen

How do you show your gratitude for the strongest woman in your life?

I always let her know I love her and make sure to spend quality time together, from weekly facetime sessions to doing fun things together.  

Describe your bond, and how you keep it strong? How do you nurture your love?

I think it’s really beautiful how our relationship has developed from before to now. We used to get in each other's way, but now our bond feels like a very strong, loving friendship. I think the key to this was realising that we’re secretly much more alike than we used to think, and understanding each other better because of this. We also never impose any obligations on each other because we know that our mother-daughter bond is strong. 

What are your smallest or most loving gestures?

We love spending time together just talking, sharing all of our frustrations & worries, but also our happy moments, it always feels like such a safe space. We really are a team and both love to travel, so it’s really important to us to plan a mother-daughter trip at least once a year. Last year we went to Barcelona and had such a great time together, exploring and making memories! 

 
What does Mother's Day mean to you (and how do you celebrate it)?

Mother’s Day has been a big deal in our family ever since I can remember. From classic Mother's Day breakfasts in bed to Mother's Day gifts, it was all a part of the special day! As I now live in Den Bosch and my parents are in The Hague, where I am originally from, it’s important to me to make it home to celebrate Mother's Day. From making her a nice breakfast, to doing something nice together and cooking in the evening, we love making a day of it. Of course, gifts are also a special part of Mother's Day. I like to give my mum meaningful gifts, so I got her the Mother Daughter bracelet a few years ago, but this year I might go for a piece of jewellery from the Atelier Collection with the initials of my brother and I engraved onto it, although the Guiding Light charm necklace has also caught my eye because my mum has always been like my North Star!  Of course, to us the perfect Mother’s Day strikes the right balance between gifts and quality time together!

 "Celebrate the strongest woman you know!"