Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of you mums out there who get up each day and work the most demanding job in the world – the one where there’s no training, no sick pay and no time off.  

I planned to set some time aside for a Mother’s Day craft-making activity. I bought canvases and researched designs the kids could make with their hand- and footprints. 

But there was one problem: time! I’m rarely alone with the boys for long enough to oversee such a logically challenging activity (our youngest is still a baby) without my wife finding out and spoiling the surprise. 

But I didn’t have much choice.  

Then I realised that maybe my wife wanted to be involved. Surely she’d get more out of the sentiment if we did this as a family activity? 

So that’s what we did. And we had tons of fun trying to get the baby to open his hand so we could paint it and then print it on the canvas. Then, we painted both boys’ bums and created a bum-print canvas for my mum, which she not only loved but was also there to witness. 

I’m still an advocate of surprises and going the extra mile to show how much you appreciate someone, but don’t discount the value of inviting that person to be part of the experience of creating something special, even if that part is being a spectator. 

Keep up the fantastic work, mums – you all rock!