Five ways to connect with Mom on Mother’s Day

It’s nearly Mother’s Day—the day to celebrate the moms and mother-figures in our lives, falling in 2025 on Sunday, May 11. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2025 consumer survey, 84 percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the day and spend an average of $259 on gifts and celebrations. That’s a predicted Mother’s Day total spend of $34.1 billion!

We discovered a long time ago in a 2013 Ooma-commissioned survey, that nine out of 10 moms said their kids didn’t need to spend money on them—a simple phone call is enough. This mom concurs.

So take heart, all of you procrastinators. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars finding that perfect gift, give your mom what she really wants this Mother’s Day—a phone call. And if you really want to make a big impact this year, we added a couple other heartfelt ways to connect with Mom.

1. Phone calls

If you’re already in the habit of calling at least once a week, give yourself a pat on the back. You may be wondering how to make a Mother’s Day call extra special. Here are a few suggestions to supercharge your conversations:

Share a favorite childhood memory

A 2023 Psychology Today article explains that recalling happy events can produce not only temporary jolts of happiness, but also counteract stress. Before calling, retrieve a few treasured memories to share with your mother. Here are some ideas to help you recall a forgotten gem.

• Think back to family holidays, birthdays and vacations. Share something your mom did to make an event special. My mom was not much of a chanteuse, but that didn’t keep her from dialing each of her kids on their birthdays to belt out her rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
• If your mother served a meal, dessert or some other kind of food you loved growing up, tell her how much you appreciated it and ask for the recipe or where she bought it. I was never a big fan of Mom’s stuffed peppers until years after I moved out and started craving them. To this day, my attempts always fall short—they must be missing Mom’s secret dash of love.
• Did she establish traditions that you still observe? Many families are visited by the tooth fairy, but ours also had annual pop-ins by St. Nick (aka Mom) who put candy in our shoes after we fell asleep on December 5th, St. Nicholas Day eve. Our friends were jealous that we got to kickstart our holidays two weeks before them.
• Remember that time you got away with something mischievous that deserved a long grounding? Maybe enough time has passed to share the details with Mom and give her something to laugh about. Or not.

Remember that sharing is a two-way street, so take the time to listen to your mother’s perspective on your memories as you chat. She may add some background information you never heard before.

Tell your mother about an important lesson she taught you

Take some time to reflect on important life lessons from your mother. For example, jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall said, “The best advice my mom ever gave me was that you have to talk about your emotions.”

Think about the best advice or life lesson you learned from your mother and share that experience in a Mother’s Day call. It’s one simple way to show your appreciation. It could be a lesson about your emotions like Diana Krall, how to succeed at work with difficult people, or something else entirely.

Ask your mother about herself

Sharing your own stories and reflections isn’t your only option. Why not take the time to ask your mother about her life experiences? Here are a few questions to consider:

• How would you describe yourself as a child?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What accomplishment are you proudest of?
• Did you have a good relationship with your parents?
• What is the most rewarding thing about raising kids?

2. Video calls

Video calling with an app like FaceTime or Zoom is another way you can say hello on Mother’s Day. A video conference call lets you connect more deeply than a phone call because you can see each other’s faces. Research reported in Forbes found that virtual eye contact can be as beneficial as in-person eye contact. However, the details matter. Forbes notes that, “The study authors were quick to point out that this may not work well in applications like Skype or Zoom where the position of the camera creates an averted gaze.”

During a Mother’s Day video conference call, focus on looking into the camera rather than looking at the video of your mother. By looking into the camera, you will be better able to maintain virtual eye contact.

By the way, you might want to invite any siblings to join the fun.

3. Cards, letters, notes, emails and text messages

If you feel more comfortable expressing your thoughts and feelings in writing, send Mom a heartfelt message. You can always send a text message or email, but it’s Mother’s Day so consider sending a handwritten letter—it may become a cherished keepsake.

4. Photos

Now that most of us keep our photo galleries in the cloud and share them on social media, we often forget that moms love to display current photos of their children in actual frames. Scroll through your pics and find a few good ones to print and frame. Make your mama beam with pride the next time it’s her turn to host book club.

5. Personalized gift cards

As an alternative to sending a traditional gift card you can pick up at any gas station, get out your art supplies and consider making a homemade gift card. For example, you could write something like:

• Redeem this card for a deep cleaning of your apartment.
• Pick a board game night at your place and I’ll bring the snacks.
• Valid for an afternoon of gardening help (includes a flat of your favorite plants).

You get the idea—just make sure this gift card relates to an activity that your mother would appreciate or a chore she abhors.

Still want to give Mom a physical gift?

As mentioned, most mothers would be perfectly happy with just a phone call. But if you’re looking for something unique that keeps in the “connections” theme, take a peek at the fun Ooma Retro Phone Bundles. They come in a variety of styles including a rotary phone, a pink Trimline phone, a hamburger phone and a lips phone.

However you choose to connect with Mom is sure to make her Mother’s Day special.