All You Need Is Love: How These Beijing Moms Spend Mother’s Day

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What does Mother’s Day mean to you? For some, it’s an elaborate meal, giant bouquets of flowers, and foot massages. Others are all about handmade artworks, wobbly ‘I Luv you Mommy’ cards and slightly burnt toast in bed. Others still use the day to honor the special women and men in their lives who, while perhaps not their biological or legal Moms, have played an important parenting role in their lives. There are no rules for doing Mother’s Day right, and the beauty of this day is just how diverse and different our expressions of love can be. We caught up with some local Moms to discuss how they spend this special day…

Mother’s Day has always been quite an occasion for Anne Aikman and her brood. “On our first Mother’s Day in Beijing, the kids and David took me to brunch at the Kerry Center, because that was the hotel where we first did our ‘look-see’ when deciding to move to Beijing.” Revising the place where they first connected with the city that has since gone on to become their home was a truly a special touch, not to mention the fact that it came along with a certain gold-plated award!

Anne and her family

Before moving to Beijing, the Aikman family spent years in Switzerland, but while the Swiss may have ski chalets and cowbells under lock, they don’t win in all categories. “If I’m honest, Mother’s Day is actually better in Beijing!” Anne credits the fabulous Mother’s Day brunches and events that many of the city’s top restaurants and hotels put on, which frequently feature special food, flowers, and champagne. “I feel blessed that my family has looked after me so well for Mother’s Days here in Beijing.” There are some other added bonuses to attending these social brunches too. “It’s been a good time to connect with some of the other moms and other families.” This year, Anne is heading up to Brickyard at Mutianyu for a special overnight stay and Sunday brunch, and she credits the Brickyard team for finding a fun, creative event that people can enjoy despite the COVID-19. “We’re really glad that we’re able to do something. Their promotion got in the right hands of the right people!” [Laughs]

New mom Rowena Haverkamp and her husband Patrick Fok moved to Beijing last year when their baby Mimi was only two months old, so the day passed pretty uneventfully. “I think I had to remind my husband that It was Mother’s Day!” [Laughs] Now with more than a year under their belt, many things have changed. “We’re a lot more settled in Beijing, we’ve been here just over a year, and I think my husband is aware that it’s Mother’s Day! Ideally, they’ll bring me breakfast in bed and lots of cuddles, I don’t expect any artwork form my daughter yet because she’s just one!”. But this young active family isn’t going to be lazing in bed all day either. Rowena’s plans for the day revolve around Patrick taking Mimi for a while so Mom can fit in a quick run, and a family bike ride and lunch together afterward.

Mimi has gotten the family hierarchy all figured out

But perhaps the thing she’s most looking forward to is some time on the phone with her mom and sister back in the Netherlands. “Since becoming a mom, I’ve realized that it’s actually very special for them too, and I miss them a lot, especially now that we’re not able to travel.” She also has a few ideas tucked dup her sleeve for how to connect with her family despite the geographical barriers. “Since we can’t visit my mom or my sister who is also a mom, I’m going to create a nice online card with a photo of my daughter, and send it over.”

While Vilma Busquets, has celebrated plenty of Mother’s Days, as the mom to two grown young men (21 and 23), she says that each one is still very memorable. “I absolutely adore my kids, and they always make time from their busy young men schedule to spend some time with me.” Unfortunately this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her 21-year-old is currently stuck in Germany, where he is waiting out the pandemic until he can return to Beijing. No matter what, Vilma doesn’t need much to be happy on this day. “Flowers, a fun meal, hugs, and laughter. And that’s all I need. To know they’re doing well, and that they love me. And I know they do.”

Vilma Busquets with her two sons at El Barrio

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Joanne O’Connor is another Beijing mom who can sympathize with the difficulties of having family far away. She and her husband moved to Beijing nine years ago when their first daughter was only six weeks old, and they usually spend Mother’s day in Beijing with close friends, at one of the city’s top restaurants like TRB or Nuo Hotel. This year, however, the O’Connors are in Australia, and won’t be able to get back until China’s border restrictions are lifted. While it is not the kind of year that anybody planned, there are plenty of upsides to the situation. “This year we don’t feel like we are ‘missing out’ on any family celebrations as we have felt sometimes over the years. This Mother’s Day, being our first in Australia in nine years, means we are able to create memories for mine and my husband’s mother’s, as well as for our children, like buying and giving hand-selected and handmade gifts, cards and flowers, and spending the day together.”

The O’Conners are spending Mother’s Day in Australia, for the first time in nine years

The family will even be making the most of the local COVID-19 restrictions, which limit gatherings to 5 people. “It will be rotating parties during the day for my mother and mother-in-law as the adult children and families visit. I’m really grateful for this amazing time and being able to be closer together with our families this year.” While Joanne and her family are long since settled in the capital, she says that the true meaning of Mother’s Day is simple. “It is mainly a time to love your mom, and reflect and let her know how much you appreciate her and everything she does.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. I think I had better go call my Mom!

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Photos: courtesy of Anne Aikman, Vilma Busquets, Rowena Havenkamp, Joanne O’Conner, unsplash, giphy

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