But let me remind you that I neglected to plan something, and suddenly what’s in store for me is a charming puppet show with pigeons. You are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Is it risky not to plan something yourself? Absolutely. I’m calling on this Mother’s Day to be the day we don’t make the plan. I cannot begin to tell you the relief that comes with not making the plan. So, thank you to my faraway friend for making that happen for me this year. Not just the planning, but the whole arc – concept, planning, and execution. Consequently, all I really want for Mother’s Day is for someone else to do the planning. Not that my husband doesn’t bring a lot to the table, but the planning? The family calendar? The details? Most of that is on me. It contains such items as who needs new underwear, when to get up early to jump on the summer camp sign-ups, and which characters are acceptable on Band-Aids. I only have anecdotal evidence from my mom friends, nothing scientific, but we all do a lot of the holding it together. Leave it to another mom to save the day with an exceptional plan! flight and there was, in fact, time to celebrate.

Suddenly, I remembered that we would have most of the day before our 6:30 p.m. But then, this morning, my friend in Brooklyn texted to ask what time our flight was because she wants to plan a Mother’s Day brunch at her house and hire her old dog walker to put on a puppet show about pigeons. Traveling across the country with young children is not exactly the most ideal way to celebrate. I’d kind of written the day off, to be honest.

My other daughter is four-and-a-half and will hopefully be plugged into her tablet for as much of the flight as possible, but preschooler energy can only dissipate into the screen for so long. My youngest daughter turns 2 in June, so this is her last free flight, and this also means she will be riding on my lap. Not the greatest planning on my part, but that’s how it landed. This Mother’s Day, I’ll be flying home from New York with my family.

Bonnie pipkin