Non-traditional Moms Gift Guide: Celebrating Moms of All Kinds

Mother's Day is fast approaching, which means it's time to think about how you will honor the special women in your life. Retailers are filled with cards and keepsakes that bear the words “mom" and “mother," but what about gifts for all the non-traditional moms you know?

These are the incredible ladies who have touched our lives as stepmoms, bonus moms, aunts, grandmas, mothers-in-law, coaches, neighbors, mentors, and trusted confidants. They may have stepped in when our own mothers could not or supported us in ways that have enriched our lives for the better.

Foster mothers take kids into their homes for a temporary period of time, but their impact can last a lifetime. “It's different to be a foster mom on Mother's Day because I think sometimes people don't know how to define your role," says foster mother Katie Hughes of Portland, Oregon. “But, ultimately, foster moms are moms, and we wholeheartedly love our kids and the role we play in their lives."

Jillana Goble, foster mother and author of the book "No Sugar-Coating: The Coffee Talk You Need about Foster Parenting," tells us, “Though we give them our all while they are in our home and around our table, we know the ultimate hope of foster care is that they will be able to be safe with their parent again. One child in my care acknowledged this by stating in a letter 'To my favorite foster mom,' and that felt special to me."

Although foster moms and all the special non-traditional mothers out there will tell you that they do what they do out of love, Mother's Day is the perfect opportunity to show them how much you appreciate them.

A thoughtful note or card is a great place to start, and we've put together a list of some other gift ideas for non-traditional moms that will warm their hearts.

other’s Day gift ideas for non-traditional moms

“Mother's Day is a chance to recognize that a lot of women do a lot of collective loving and nurturing and making the world go round through offering children stability," Goble says. “The responsibilities of motherhood are great and, as any experienced mom knows, can be thankless, so while chocolates and flowers on Mother's Day are not expected, they're always appreciated."