13 Books You'll Want To Get Yourself For Mother's Day

Hey kids, grandkids, dads, and significant others! We know you haven’t looked at a calendar in weeks and really have no concept of time anymore, but there is a special day coming up. May 10 in fact. And you need to acknowledge it because moms have had a rough go lately between working from home, homeschooling, and getting zero minutes to themselves during this endless quarantine.

So here’s a quick gift guide full of awesome books the mom in your life will love to curl up with (while you leave her alone). If she’s a mom to teens, there’s something on this list for her. A toddler mom? Yep, got that too. A mom who needs humor? A grieving mom? A mom who likes to journal or likes a little erotica or desperately just wants her kid to sleep through the fucking night? Check, check, and check.

They’re all here, so happy shopping and happy Mother’s Day!

Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults by Lisa Heffernan & Mary Dell Harrington

Parents of teens will often say these are the loneliest of the parenting years. When we have babies and toddlers, there’s a village you can vent your potty-training and tantruming tales to, but once they are teens, they don’t want us airing their business. And, instead of having them crawl all over us 24/7, they’re breaking away and leaving the nest, which, as it turns out, can be a million times harder. The founders of Grown & Flown created this helpful guide that covers “everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic — such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life — it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars.”

Live Love Now: Relieve the Pressure and Find Real Connection with Our Kids by Rachel Macy Stafford

In many ways, parenting is harder than it’s ever been. Yes, we have modern technology and there are more opportunities for our kiddos than ever before, but the pressures on them to compete, succeed, and do all the things is overwhelmingly intense. So that means being a kid is also challenging in ways kids of previous generations did not experience. Rachel Macy Stafford’s Live Love Now: Relieve the Pressure and Find Real Connection with Our Kids tackles it all. It’s described as being “engaging and thoughtful” with each chapter including “moving stories from Rachel’s personal journey as a mom of a teen and pre-teen along with illustrative narratives and prompts to help you reflect and take steps toward becoming the kind of adult young people trust.”

You’re Mom: A Little Book for Mothers (And the People Who Love Them) by Liz Climo

Moms of littles spend many of their waking hours reading picture books. Well, this one’s especially for Mommy, and she’ll love it. As Amazon describes it: “With more than 100 beautiful drawings, You’re Mom is a book for the new mom, the seasoned mom, anyone in a mom-like role, or anyone who has ever loved a mom. It’s a thank you to those taking on the challenging role of parenting — and it’s also short and sweet, which means you can read it and then hopefully get some sleep!” Honestly, this sounds like the perfect gift for Mother’s Day.

You Are the Mother of All Mothers – A Message of Hope for the Grieving Heart by Angela Miller

For many women, Mother’s Day brings more pain than joy, so this book is for them. This is a gift for the mom grieving the loss of a pregnancy, grieving the loss of a child, or grieving the absence of motherhood in her life. “No matter the age or cause of death, no matter the story, this book is for you, sweet mama. It’s the book you can reach for in the middle of the night, when you feel like no one understands your pain. It’s the book you can carry with you anywhere and everywhere, to give you a lift of hope, a sliver of light in the darkness. It’s a balm for your broken heart, a comfort for your aching soul,” the description on Grief Watch reads.

The She Book by Tanya Markul

The She Book is the best $4 you will spend to lift up another mom this Mother’s Day. Because the truth is, every one of us has pain. Every one of us has grief, in some form. Everyone one of us has self-doubt and fears and wonders at times if we’re enough. Tanya’s own words read: “May we raise the bar for how we live our lives. May we ridiculously increase the amount of peace, play, creativity, beauty, love, and joy in everything we do. May we all sip from the wisdom of our suffering. And awaken with the courage to share our stories that can heal our inner and outer worlds.” The She Book will remind the reader that she is strong, she is fierce, and she is not alone.

Self-Care for Moms: 150+ Real Ways to Care for Yourself While Caring for Everyone Else by Sara Robinson

You know we needed to put a self-care book on this list, because what are moms most guilty of? Putting ourselves last. This Mother’s Day, gift the mom in your life with this helpful guide chock full of more than 150 ways she can care for herself, which she so desperately needs to do. Some are 5-minute activities, others might take an hour. And, “you’ll also find ideas for activities that span larger amounts of time for inspiration and motivation to take some much-needed and well-earned extra time for yourself. There’s even a few aspirational activities, such as trips or projects, that last a day—or more—with a realistic plan for how to organize and coordinate your schedule to accommodate the occasional—but very important—extended time to focus on yourself,” per Amazon’s description.

I Brushed My Hair Today: A Mom Journal for Mostly Together Moms by Karen Johnson

Now, more than ever, moms of babies and toddlers need a place to vent. They need a book that makes them laugh and feel less alone as they are quarantined and trapped at home with toddlers pooping on the rug and “decorating” their furniture with sharpies. So pretty! This humorous journal by The 21st Century SAHM provides quotes from writers, comedians, and celebrities about parenthood, as well as places for mothers to jot down the stories they may not want to put in the baby book (like their 3-year-old’s first f-bomb). Those long days in the trenches will test even the most “together” mom, making this journal the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

Knock Knock What I Love about Mom Fill-in-the-Blank Gift Journal

This one’s for the kids to complete! Prompts like “If you were a scent, you’d be…” (don’t say poop) and “I love it when you call me…” will make Mom laugh and cry, which is what Mother’s Day is all about. This makes an adorable kid-gift, buys major Dad points, and will be a lifelong treasure.

Mom Life: A Snarky Adult Coloring Book

This description says it all: “It’s 6:30 PM. By some miracle, one of your kids is asleep while the other is watching cartoons in a food coma. Quick! Here’s your chance! Grab some colored pencils and markers, this coloring book, and run to the bathroom (don’t forget the wine)! First, lock the door and enjoy the solitude of private urination. Second, gulp down that wine and enjoy the most relaxing five minutes of your day as you surrender to the quietness and creativity of coloring.” Buy this for yourself or someone else. You’ll love it.

Small Victories: The Off-Camera Life of an On-Camera Mom by Molly Grantham

We’ve all got our own journey from whatever pre-motherhood life we were living to this one full of wiping butts and stepping on Legos. This book tells one mom’s journey—a tale that so many of us can relate to. “Shining an honest — and often funny — light on her own parental struggles was an unexpected transition for this journalist used to reporting on gangs, crime, and serious social issues” Amazon’s description reads. Because the truth is, no matter what we did in our previous lives, nothing truly prepares us for motherhood.

Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes by Clint Edwards

Pretty sure there’s no way to truly get through the terrible two and threes without humor. The title of this one alone tells you that it’s going to be funny and relatable, and it is. And it’s written by the dad behind No Idea What I’m Doing: A Daddy Blog—who’s right down there in the trenches with the rest of us. “His relatable toddler stories leave parents and caregivers cackling, and remind us all that no one is the perfect parent. In fact, sometimes the only thing that gets Clint through the day is thinking about when his kids grow up . . . and all the ways he can finally exact his revenge. Like leaving a leaky sippy cup full of milk to rot under the back seat of his daughter’s car, or waking up at 4 a.m. to incessantly ask his son for a cheese stick,” Amazon’s description reads. See? Relatable AF.

Bedtime, the Ultimate Battle: A Parent’s Sleep Guide for Infants and Toddlers by Melissa Guida-Richards

Hey everyone not raising a baby: Do not ask new parents if their baby is sleeping through the night. Seriously. Instead, gift them with this helpful (and humorous!) book that offers practical sleep solutions and makes them laugh (because tbh, most of their days are spent close to tears). As Amazon describes it: “Bedtime, the Ultimate Battle is a concise and humorous tool that even the most sleep-deprived parents will love. It contains the meat and potatoes of sleep solutions for your baby that you can digest easily in the middle of the night, without worrying about heartburn.” Sounds like the most valuable book everrrrrrrr.

Red Water by Kristen Mae

Finally, how about letting Mom escape the world of babies, toddlers, and tweens, and being snack bitch, and hearing about Fortnite for hours a day by sending her off to a quiet place where she can get lost in a book. A book like Red Water, which is a bestseller for a reason. I mean, what else would you expect with a description like this? “At times erotic, at times disturbing, and at times both at once, Red Water slithers under your skin with its dark, unflinching examination of the psychology of self-loathing and the secret, unspeakable lust for depravity that lies dormant within us all.” Or with a review like this one? “With prose that will bring you to your knees, Red Water will hold you in its grip without apology, and you will love every torturous second of it.” You know you want to read it now.

So that’s our list—from humor to dark erotica, from books about the toddler years to books about letting your teen go off to college. Moms have had it particularly hard these past couple months, so get them a gift they’ll love, a gift that will make them feel appreciated, and a gift they can enjoy in a quiet room with a glass of wine in hand. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! You’re all amazing and your families are lucky to have you.