Nearly half (48%) of American moms said they are forced to connect with family via phone or video call this Mother’s Day, a US Foods report found. The majority (75%) of moms said there is someone they won’t be able to hug because of quarantine. 

This year’s celebratory holiday falls on May 10, during which most states are still under social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions due to the novel coronavirus. These safety parameters mean that many mothers will be forced to celebrate Mother’s Day without seeing their children in person. 

SEE: Top 100+ tips for telecommuters and managers (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Only 27% of moms said they would see their loved ones in-person, at a safe distance, on Sunday. While the majority (85%) wish to spend at least some time with family on Mother’s Day, tech will instead need to be relied on to forge those connections, the report found. 

Web conferencing technology is booming, as businesses rely on the digital tools to telecommute and individuals use the tech to stay in touch. The popular video conferencing platform Zoom grew by 574% in less than two months, after COVID-19 began making its widespread impact, an Aternity report found. 

Collaboration platforms will have to be the medium through which many people celebrate Mother’s Day, however, there are other ways to make mom feel special, according to the report. 

Mother’s Day during a pandemic

During quarantine, mother’s are wanting to stay inside: Only 34% of moms said they want to leave the house on Mother’s Day. The majority (68%) want to watch TV or movies and 43% said they want to play games, both of which can be enjoyed with family via video call. 

On Zoom, users can play a variety of games over video. Between Zoom Bingo, Yahtzee!, Chess, Scattergories, and more, families can still engage in activities from afar. 

Families separated because of coronavirus can also watch movies together through a Google Chrome browser extension called Netflix Party, which allows you to start, stop, and pause a Netflix show or film so groups can watch at the same time remotely. 

The report also found that more than half of moms (53%) want takeout or delivery from a favorite restaurant on Mother’s Day. Loved ones could use apps such as Postmates or Uber Eats to send their moms their favorite meals, many of which are currently waiving delivery fees. 

Gift cards are also an easy option for making mom feel special—at a distance. Some 30% of mothers said they would most like a gift card for an experience this Mother’s Day. 

While many people can’t physically be with their mothers and mother-figures this holiday, the important thing for the majority of moms (74%) is to have a relaxing, comfortable day, which can luckily be done while socially distancing at home. 

Methodology 

The report surveyed 2,009 American moms on their wishes for this year’s quarantined Mother’s Day. Ages ranged from 18 to 57 across all 50 US states. 

For more, check out 8 Mother’s Day gift ideas for techies and non-techies alike on TechRepublic. 

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