Happy Mother’s Day

This year Mother’s day lands on May 14th in Canada and on May 7th in Portugal. Funnily enough, I’m in Portugal right now with my mom (and dad), but we were travelling and missed Portuguese Mother’s Day. Yet, I was fortunate enough to snap this photo of a window display celebrating moms or rather mães and thought it perfect for this blog post.

Every Portuguese mother I meet seems to share similar characteristics. It’s like they all went to the same school or something to learn how to become a good Portuguese mother. They love their children fiercely and are always worried about us. Whether it’s if we’ve eaten enough, are wearing a jacket, or have on clean cuecas, our mothers never stop taking care of us.  So happy Mother’s Day to all the mães, and also all the avós, tias and primas because it’s not just the moms in the family that take care of us kids, it’s sometimes a number of female relatives too. Don’t forget to wish the women in your life a Happy Mother’s Day today and maybe listen to her when she reminds you to wear clean cuecas.

For more too true descriptions about Portuguese Mothers, read the list below and share it with your mom if you dare.

15 Characteristics of Portuguese Mothers

The list below was taken from the Azorean Kids and is so far the most accurate description of my mother. What do you think? Are all Portuguese mothers the same? Does this list describe your Portuguese mom?

1. When going on a trip, a Portuguese mother will start a long speech with “Ai meu rico filho” (Oh, my precious child), hold your hand tightly, remind you to eat well and to take care of your allergies, stay out of the cold, and kiss and hug you like it is her last opportunity.
2. When you come back from a trip, a Portuguese mother will open her arms and say “Ai estás tão magrinho” (Oh my, you are so skinny!), and immediately start cooking a home buffet that can feed the neighbors next door for days.
3. When talking on the phone, a Portuguese mother will sound like she is yelling, but that is just how she talks naturally. It does get embarrassing though when you have friends over and they ask, “Is your mother angry?”
4. When your Portuguese mother calls you while you’re out with your friends, she will ask for a detailed report on everything that you have done and will do. Then she will end the conversation by asking if you ate and remind you to be home early even though you are an adult.
5. When you ask your Portuguese mother about her day, she will tell you everything that has happened to her – from her doctor’s appointment to the neighbor’s cat/dog gone missing, to what time she will be cooking dinner and what sad news she has heard from Tia (insert typical Portuguese woman name here like Maria).
6. When you sleep in on a Saturday, a Portuguese mother will burst in the room in the morning and tell you to immediately get up to start cleaning the house.
7. When your room is messy, a Portuguese mother will scream your full name, tell the whole family that you left clothes on the floor, or worse, shoes on the bed, and say “Ai ai ai, this room would be upside down if it weren’t for me.”
8. When a Portuguese mother is out of lemons/oranges/apples, she will just take some from the neighbor’s tree.
9. When going on a family outing to the park or beach, a Portuguese mother will bring homemade bread, bottles of water, several juice cartons, five oranges, three apples, several sandwiches with beef or linguica, and mention several times that she forgot something.
10. When going on a trip, a Portuguese mother will pack a cooler with food and a mini oven because she knows the family cannot live without her homecooked meals, plus she herself does not trust restaurant food.
11. No matter how much you eat, your Portuguese mother will not believe you that you’re not hungry.
12. When your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife comes over, a Portuguese mother will repeatedly ask “Are you hungry, sweetheart? Here, have some bacalhau (cod fish), potatoes, and fresh couves (kale) from the yard.” When your partner politely says that he or she is not hungry, a Portuguese mother will reply, “Oh, well then, here, have some dessert. I know you love dessert. Hmm, how about arroz doce (rice pudding)?”
13. On Sundays, a Portuguese mother will drag everyone out of the house to go to church and out of the blue mention that she planned a dinner party with family members and fellow churchgoers, so you must cancel all your plans.
14. When leaving the house, a Portuguese mother will check every corner of the house to make sure it is clean, and when everyone is about to go out, she will say “Hold on, I still have to wash the dishes.”
15. When your Portuguese mother catches you talking to a stranger, she will tell you how dangerous it is to be talking to people you do not know, but then ten minutes later, you will see her talking to strangers at the supermarket, hairdresser’s, parking lot, gas station, train station, and bank.