15 Things to Do on Mother’s Day If You Don’t Have a Mom

Mother’s Day 2023 is only a few days away. For most people, it will be a joyful day because they will celebrate it with their moms while doing various activities to show how much they love and appreciate them. However, for many others who don’t have a mom, Mother’s Day can be one of the saddest and most dreaded days because this is when they feel her absence the most.
If you are in the second group, seeing everyone around you doing fun activities with their mothers and sharing pictures on social media could make you wish the day was over already, and you might start wondering what to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom.
There are many reasons some people may not have a mom to celebrate with on Mother’s Day. It could be due to loss through death, abandonment, or by choice (if they cut their mom out of their life because of differences over things such as sexuality, religion, choice of partner, substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and general toxicity), among other reasons.
Since you might be at a loss on what to do, this post will discuss some of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom. You can try out the Mother’s Day activity ideas that apply to your situation from the ones listed below.
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Things to Do on Mother’s Day If You Don’t Have a Mom
- Visit her final resting place
No matter how long it has been since it happened, Mother’s Day is especially tough for people who lost their mom through death.
All the Mother’s Day stuff being shoved in your face everywhere you go or look during this period doesn’t help either as it only makes you feel lost and sadder.
For comfort and to feel closer to her, one of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom is to visit her final resting place. It will be a way for you to honor her memory and show that she is not forgotten.
You can go to your mom’s resting place by yourself or together with your family and remember to bring flowers or her picture.
READ ALSO: 6 Reasons Why Some People Don’t Love Their Birthday
- Do something she used to love
What did your mom like to do? What things did you enjoy doing together? Engaging in activities she used to love, or those you used to do together, are other good things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom because she passed away.
For example, you could cook her favorite meal, do some gardening, clean, volunteer, visit a place she loved, or watch her favorite movie/TV show, among other things relevant to your case. Even better, you could complete an action she had wanted to do but didn’t get the chance.
Doing what your mom loved or what you used to do together will help you feel connected to her on Mother’s Day.
- Make a tribute memory book
Memories are the only things we can still hold onto when a loved one is no longer with us. So, one of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom is to revisit and preserve your memories of her.
Gather pictures of your mom and make a memory book. Arrange the photos in chronological order and get creative with the layouts. If the photographs are in digital format, you could print them out or make a tribute slideshow video for your mom.
Creating the tribute memory book or video will be a way to preserve memories of her while also giving you a distraction and something to keep you busy for a while.
- Get together as a family

If you have more family members, for example, your mom’s partner, your siblings, your grandparents, or your partner and kids, you should not spend Mother’s Day alone.
Instead, one of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom because she passed on, she abandoned you, or if you cut her off is to spend the day with the rest of your family.
Depending on why you can’t celebrate Mother’s Day with your mom this year, you could do various activities as a family, such as dining together, playing games, going fishing or biking, telling stories about her, visiting a place that brings back memories, etc.
Surround yourself with your loved ones and have fun together while also keeping the memories of your mom alive.
READ ALSO: 10 Incredible Benefits of Spending Time with Family
- Celebrate yourself or your partner
You probably already have kids and are now a mom or a dad.
One of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom but have started your own family is to celebrate yourself or your partner. Get yourself/her a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift and spend this special day pampering yourself/her.
Although mothers should be appreciated and celebrated every day, there is no better day to show some extra love to yourself or the moms in your life than the one dedicated to celebrating motherhood.
- Write a letter to your mom
Whether you lost your mom through death, abandonment, or by choice, there are probably many things you wish you could tell her if you had the chance.
It could be about all the things that have happened in your life since you were with her last, your emotions and thoughts concerning her, or any other things you would like to tell her.
Words left unsaid are one of the biggest regrets people have in life. So, if you desire to talk to her, one of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom is to write her a letter.
It will be an outlet for your emotions and will help you come to terms with what happened.
If your mom passed away, writing a letter to her about everything that has happened since she died can make you feel closer to her.
After writing the letter to your mom, you could destroy it, save it in an envelope or on your computer, send it to others who loved her or share it with a support group.
READ ALSO: 10 Ways to Cope When Everything Feels Heavy and Overwhelming
- Celebrate your mother figures

Even though your birth mom is not in your life for whatever reasons, you may have found someone else who has played the role of a mother to you.
It could be your dad, a relative, an adoptive mom, a teacher, a therapist, an employer, a neighbor, or anyone else who loved and supported you as a mother would.
Celebrating your mother figure(s) is one of the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom.
You could visit them, give them Mother’s Day gifts, send a handwritten card, or do other things that show them how much they mean to you. Your mother figure will love knowing that you appreciate and value their impact on your life.
- Find other friends going through the same
If you still don’t know what to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom, spending it with other people who are going through the same situation is another great idea of things to do.
You could spend the day celebrating each other (if you all have kids), doing fun activities, or just talking.
No one understands what you are going through on this day better than someone who has been through the same ordeal. Therefore, if you don’t have a mom on Mother’s Day, talking and sharing your feelings with friends and other people who have experienced the same thing will be comforting.
READ ALSO: 10 Things to Remember When Going Through a Difficult Time
- Do your hobbies
Dwelling on the fact that it is Mother’s Day and you don’t have a mom to celebrate with can bring about negative emotions and thoughts.
Unfortunately, this could be the day you find yourself glued to your phone scrolling through social media feeds, and feeling sad when you see how everyone else is celebrating their moms. Why not keep yourself busy doing something else?
Doing something you love, for example, your hobbies, is among the best things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom.
Your hobbies will bring you joy and keep you busy, thus distracting you from negative emotions and thoughts, for a while at least.
READ ALSO: Toxic Positivity: What It Is, Why It Is Harmful, and 5 Ways to Avoid It
- Do nothing about it
The simplest solution for what to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom is to do nothing about it and treat Mother’s Day like you would any other Sunday.
You don’t have to celebrate or do anything special or different on Mother’s Day if doing so will make you relive sad memories or traumatic experiences.
However, to avoid having all the Mother’s Day stuff shoved in your face, you could stay at home and unplug from social media. Other than that, spend the day however you want to spend it.
More things to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom;
- If your mom passed away because she was sick, you can donate to charity organizations or a foundation that does research on her illness
- Make a memorial, plant a tree, or light a candle in your mom’s memory
- Write about your mom in a book, blog, or a song
- Stop blaming yourself for her death or her leaving and make peace with the past
- It is okay to cry if you feel like doing so
READ ALSO: 10 Signs You Are Stuck in The Past, Why It Happens, and How to Let Go
Final thoughts
Mother’s Day can be one of the happiest days of the year for some people while also being one of the saddest for others who can’t celebrate it with their moms for various reasons.
If you are in the latter category, now you know what to do on Mother’s Day if you don’t have a mom.
Depending on why you don’t have a mom, you can try any of the above Mother’s Day ideas that apply to your situation. It will probably still be a tough day to get through, but you can do it.
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