"I can't wait to hug her." 8 women share what it's like to be away from their mums in isolation.

As the current situation continues, people all over the world are adjusting to their ‘new normal’. Whether that’s working from home, exercising in the lounge room, homeschooling the kids, or catching up with friends for Friday night drinks via video call, it’s fair to say our lives look pretty different right now.

And while we might be acclimatising for the most part, one of the hardest things to deal with is being separated from loved ones.

As Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10) approaches, many of us will be preparing to spend it away from our mums and thinking of ways to make her feel special from a safe distance.

By sending flowers, having virtual afternoon tea, or treating her to a RedBalloon experience to enjoy once the current restrictions are lifted, there are still so many ways to make mum feel loved.

If you’re after ideas, RedBalloon has you covered – and their vouchers are valid for three years. From hot air ballooning with a champagne breakfast to cookery classes, to five-course meals by the water and glamping among the vineyards, there is something that will please every mum.

If you don’t want to wait until the end of iso to treat your mum, RedBalloon also offer at home experiences you can have sent right to her door. There are at home wine and cheese tasting kits, home-delivered three-course gourmet meals for two, pottery making kits, chocolate hampers, and more.

As we look ahead to happier times like these, we thought we’d ask 8 women what it’s like missing their mums, and what they’ll do as soon as they’re outside of isolation.

Grab the tissues… and call your mum after reading these.

Janine

“I’m currently seven months pregnant with my first child, so I’m already quite anxious about the next life stage. I’ve now been in self isolation for over six weeks and in that time I’ve only seen my mum once when she dropped off a beautiful baby gift: a pram. We had to stay two metres away from each other when all I wanted to do was give her big cuddle. My mum was really excited to organise a baby shower for me, help me to set up our nursery and spend time with me on my maternity leave before our bub arrives. Now she won’t even be able to visit me in the hospital after I give birth or even for a few weeks after that. So as soon as this is all over, the first thing I am going to do is introduce my mum to her grandchild.”

Molly

“My mum means the absolute world to me. I know it’s a bit of a cliché for a girl to say her mum is her best friend, but mine really is. We’ve always shared everything and she’s always been so supportive of everything I’ve done, including my decision to leave the UK and move to Australia six years ago. Even with 10,000 miles between us and a tricky time difference on our hands, we still chat on the phone all the time, and even more so in the current situation.

“Even when isolation ends here, I have no idea when I’m going to be able to fly over to see her. But as soon as I can get on a flight, I will – I can’t wait to hug her. When I’m there we won’t make major plans because quality time at home is most important. But we love going for dinner and drinking wine together, so we will definitely do that.”

Sam

“When I was little, my mum would make all my clothes, she was so creative and could make something out of nothing. I think that’s where I get my creative energy. Over the years, she’s helped me dream up burlesque cabaret costumes and even helped me hand stitch sashes for my bridesmaids when I got married. Once we are out of isolation, I’m going to have a sewing day with Mum. I was ‘too busy’ leading up to everything with COVID and now that’s really all that I want to do! We will sit with endless cups of tea, and chatter with fabric, patterns and pins all around. Pure bliss!”

Claire

"From the day I moved out of home when I was 17, I have spoken to my mum on the phone every... single... day. I'm the baby of the family and a child that they thought would never happen, so the bond between Mum and I is something extra special. She's a gorgeous posh English lady who drinks way too much tea and loves a royal wedding. We live in different states right now so while we still talk everyday on FaceTime, the pull to be near her is strong. If I let myself think about it too much it makes me a bit emotional but the first thing I want to do when I see Mum is sit down and have a nice cup of tea next to her on the couch before I lay down, put my head in her lap and let her stroke my hair until all the world's craziness goes away."

Rachel

"My mum is a single mum and I'm an only child. She raised me entirely by herself so we have a close bond. She lives a two-hour drive away, but before this all occurred, I'd drive down every weekend. We'd grab a coffee, catch up on the week, then go for a big bushwalk, just the two of us. I can't wait until we're able to do that again. I really miss our walks and chats."

Laura

"Mum is the lynchpin in our family. She is a huge help to my sister and I in caring for our four kids and we spend a lot of time with her. She has been self isolating for six weeks and it has left a huge hole in our household. The kids miss their time with her a great deal and she misses them immensely. As Mum lives alone we have made sure we keep in touch with her regularly. She's had video calls with each of the kids and even helped them with some of their home schooling work (researching platypuses!). We've also had dinnertime video calls. As soon as this is over, I can't wait to reunite my mum with the kids, as I am sure she is missing them more than she's missing me!"

Laura knows her mum will be missing her grandkids. Image: Supplied. 

Emily

"My mum and I are very close - we always used to have coffee together in the lounge room every morning and go for long walks in the evening. We even worked out together (much to my dismay).

"When I moved out of home, it was pretty hard for me to not see her everyday which is why we decided to have breakfast together every Friday morning to catch up. It was honestly the highlight of my week and our breakfast would last two to three hours because we had so much to catch up on. Not being able to have that one day a week breaks my heart so we’ve been calling each other every evening to talk about our day. Staying connected to my mum during this time has had such a strong, positive impact on my mental health and it’s so nice to know that I can still count on her as my emotional support system during this time. I cannot wait for all this to be over so we can go back to our weekly breakfasts."

Emily is excited to have Friday morning breakfast with her mum. Image: Supplied. 

Maddie

"Mum and I have always been best friends. Growing up we moved country a lot and I also grew up with an older and younger brother so being her only girl meant that we became so close. My parents live in Qatar, however when my mum went over to the UK recently to visit my brothers she got stuck with the border closures. It's hard because I have always had the mentality of 'my family is only a flight away' but now that's not true. I used to be a makeup artist, so she loves it when I do her makeup and we get all dressed up and go to a nice dinner together, just the two of us. So when I see her next that's exactly what I want to do with her. Whenever we go out we end up having the best time, we talk about literally everything."

Maddie wants to do her mum's makeup and take her out for dinner. Image: Supplied.

Show your Mum how much you love her with a RedBalloon experience you can share together later.

Feature image: Supplied.