【Mother's Day True Feelings Survey!】Mother's Day is unique for everyone. Revealing the reality of mothers, including 'ideal ways to spend Mother's Day' and 'gifts for mothers-in-law and biological mothers'
Connehito Inc. conducted a 'Mother's Day True Feelings Survey' through its community app for mothers, 'Mamari'. This survey reveals the gap between the ideal and reality of Mother's Day, and the form of gratitude mothers truly seek.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 7, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 7, 2026 at 23:00 (11h 28m after Collected)
Connehito Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shinichiro Sugii; hereinafter 'Connehito') conducted a 'Mother's Day True Feelings Survey' through its community app for mothers, 'Mamari'.
■ Background of the Survey
Every year as Mother's Day approaches, 'Mamari' receives numerous posts from mothers expressing not only anticipation and joy but also complex emotions.
For example, while there are positive voices like 'I was so moved to tears by a letter from my child,' there are also many negative posts such as 'I ended up rushing around arranging gifts for my biological mother and mother-in-law' or 'I didn't even receive a word of thanks.'
Amidst the general image of 'Mother's Day = a day to express gratitude to mothers,' we conducted this survey to find hints on how mothers, who are busy with childcare and work every day, truly want to spend Mother's Day, and to discover a better way for all family members to celebrate Mother's Day.
Survey Overview
Theme: 'Mother's Day True Feelings Survey for Mothers'
Survey Area: Nationwide
Number of Valid Respondents: 276
Period: April 24 (Fri) - 28 (Tue), 2026
Survey Method: Questionnaire within the community app for mothers, 'Mamari'
■ Survey Results
Diverse Ideal Ways to Spend Mother's Day
When asked about their ideal Mother's Day, the top responses were 'I want to spend it happily with my family' at 32% and 'I want to spend it slowly by myself' at 23%. However, the difference was not significant when including other responses, indicating that mothers' ideal ways of spending the day vary depending on their circumstances.
More than half of mothers spend Mother's Day as usual
The most common way mothers actually spent Mother's Day in the past was 'as usual,' accounting for 60%. While an ideal image of Mother's Day exists, the reality is that this ideal is difficult to achieve, resulting in a gap between ideal and reality.
Approximately half of mothers express gratitude to both their biological mother and mother-in-law in some form
When asked if they do anything for their biological mother or mother-in-law, approximately half responded 'both biological mother and mother-in-law.' It became clear that many mothers, even while being recipients of gratitude as 'mothers' themselves, take some action towards their biological mother and mother-in-law.
What is needed more than material things is 'affirmation' and 'recognition'
The survey also asked about 'happy events' that left an impression on past Mother's Days, and conversely, 'disappointing events.'
【Examples of happy events】
- On my first Mother's Day after my son was born, my husband prepared a bouquet. I was deeply moved as I truly felt like a mother again.
- Portraits, letters, and crafts drawn at kindergarten or nursery school. I feel they are treasures for life, conveying how hard my child worked to make them.
- My husband bought a cake with the children or gave me flowers as a surprise.
【Examples of disappointing events】
- My child was small, so I wanted my husband to prompt something, but there was nothing at all.
- My husband gave a gift to his mother but didn't even say a word of appreciation to me.
- I had expectations, but it was just another day of single-parenting and housework, no different from usual.
Many disappointing episodes were not due to the presence or absence of gifts, but rather to the 'indifference' or 'lack of consideration' from husbands and those around them. Also, in happy episodes, while receiving gifts is certainly joyful, many voices expressed happiness in the process, such as 'my child prepared it with me.' This suggests that more than 'things' themselves, being recognized as a 'mother' by family and having one's daily efforts affirmed may be the most important gift of all.
■ Instead of 'this is how it should be,' cherish what 'feels right' for mothers and families.
What we learned from this survey is that there is no single right answer for Mother's Day. What a mother wants most right now might be quality time with her family, or it might be rest spent alone.
The important thing is to let go of the fixed idea of 'this is how it should be.' Respecting a mother's wishes by asking 'How do you want to spend this year?' or listening to her true feelings, and valuing what 'feels right' for the mother and her family, may be the best gift for mothers who lead busy lives every day.
■ About Connehito Inc.
Connehito Inc. is a company that supports decision-making in family life events through the power of IT. We operate 'Mamari' and conduct public-private partnership projects that return the voices of Mamari users to society. Moving forward, we aim to provide services that assist families in making choices across an even wider range of life event domains.
https://connehito.com/
Business activities: Development and operation of 'Mamari,' a community app/information site for mothers; childcare DX projects for local governments; support for improving family-related environments for local governments and corporations.
■ Background of the Survey
Every year as Mother's Day approaches, 'Mamari' receives numerous posts from mothers expressing not only anticipation and joy but also complex emotions.
For example, while there are positive voices like 'I was so moved to tears by a letter from my child,' there are also many negative posts such as 'I ended up rushing around arranging gifts for my biological mother and mother-in-law' or 'I didn't even receive a word of thanks.'
Amidst the general image of 'Mother's Day = a day to express gratitude to mothers,' we conducted this survey to find hints on how mothers, who are busy with childcare and work every day, truly want to spend Mother's Day, and to discover a better way for all family members to celebrate Mother's Day.
Survey Overview
Theme: 'Mother's Day True Feelings Survey for Mothers'
Survey Area: Nationwide
Number of Valid Respondents: 276
Period: April 24 (Fri) - 28 (Tue), 2026
Survey Method: Questionnaire within the community app for mothers, 'Mamari'
■ Survey Results
Diverse Ideal Ways to Spend Mother's Day
When asked about their ideal Mother's Day, the top responses were 'I want to spend it happily with my family' at 32% and 'I want to spend it slowly by myself' at 23%. However, the difference was not significant when including other responses, indicating that mothers' ideal ways of spending the day vary depending on their circumstances.
More than half of mothers spend Mother's Day as usual
The most common way mothers actually spent Mother's Day in the past was 'as usual,' accounting for 60%. While an ideal image of Mother's Day exists, the reality is that this ideal is difficult to achieve, resulting in a gap between ideal and reality.
Approximately half of mothers express gratitude to both their biological mother and mother-in-law in some form
When asked if they do anything for their biological mother or mother-in-law, approximately half responded 'both biological mother and mother-in-law.' It became clear that many mothers, even while being recipients of gratitude as 'mothers' themselves, take some action towards their biological mother and mother-in-law.
What is needed more than material things is 'affirmation' and 'recognition'
The survey also asked about 'happy events' that left an impression on past Mother's Days, and conversely, 'disappointing events.'
【Examples of happy events】
- On my first Mother's Day after my son was born, my husband prepared a bouquet. I was deeply moved as I truly felt like a mother again.
- Portraits, letters, and crafts drawn at kindergarten or nursery school. I feel they are treasures for life, conveying how hard my child worked to make them.
- My husband bought a cake with the children or gave me flowers as a surprise.
【Examples of disappointing events】
- My child was small, so I wanted my husband to prompt something, but there was nothing at all.
- My husband gave a gift to his mother but didn't even say a word of appreciation to me.
- I had expectations, but it was just another day of single-parenting and housework, no different from usual.
Many disappointing episodes were not due to the presence or absence of gifts, but rather to the 'indifference' or 'lack of consideration' from husbands and those around them. Also, in happy episodes, while receiving gifts is certainly joyful, many voices expressed happiness in the process, such as 'my child prepared it with me.' This suggests that more than 'things' themselves, being recognized as a 'mother' by family and having one's daily efforts affirmed may be the most important gift of all.
■ Instead of 'this is how it should be,' cherish what 'feels right' for mothers and families.
What we learned from this survey is that there is no single right answer for Mother's Day. What a mother wants most right now might be quality time with her family, or it might be rest spent alone.
The important thing is to let go of the fixed idea of 'this is how it should be.' Respecting a mother's wishes by asking 'How do you want to spend this year?' or listening to her true feelings, and valuing what 'feels right' for the mother and her family, may be the best gift for mothers who lead busy lives every day.
■ About Connehito Inc.
Connehito Inc. is a company that supports decision-making in family life events through the power of IT. We operate 'Mamari' and conduct public-private partnership projects that return the voices of Mamari users to society. Moving forward, we aim to provide services that assist families in making choices across an even wider range of life event domains.
https://connehito.com/
Business activities: Development and operation of 'Mamari,' a community app/information site for mothers; childcare DX projects for local governments; support for improving family-related environments for local governments and corporations.