Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the amazing qualities of the mums in our lives, and it turns out, sentiment and support is the new cool.
A new study from greetings card marketplace, thortful has asked Brits1 why they think their mum is cool. Gone are the days of asking to be dropped off before the school gates so your friends don’t see your parents, and socialising with friends and mother in tow is now officially in.
What are the elements people in the UK appreciate the most about their mums and the mum figures in their lives?
Almost half of those asked (48%), say the reason their mum is cool is because ‘she always puts the family first.’ In fact, a message of emotion and admiration is the common theme for the highest-ranking reasons.
The second highest reason people think their mum is cool is because she is strong and supportive in difficult situations (39%), followed by ‘works hard to support the family (32%) in third and ‘Always makes time for her family and friends even though she’s busy (29%) in fourth. See the full list below:
| Ranking | Reasons why people think their mum is cool | Percentage |
| 1 | Always puts her family first | 48% |
| 2 | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 39% |
| 3 | Works hard to support the family | 32% |
| 4 | Always makes time for her family and friends even though she’s busy | 29% |
| 5 | She’s an amazing chef | 26% |
| 6 | Goes to things by herself | 19% |
| 7 | Has helped me know how amazing it is to be a woman | 17% |
| 8 | Has dealt with a chronic illness whilst supporting the family | 16% |
| 9 | She wants to travel and try new experiences | 15% |
| 10 | Has an amazing career she’s worked hard at | 15% |
| 11 | She has the best fashion sense | 14% |
| 12 | Has the best taste in music, and dances with me at concerts | 11% |
| 13 | She’s brought me and my siblings up on her own | 11% |
| 14 | Made a drastic life change at an older age | 11% |
| 15 | Hangs out with me and my friends | 11% |
| 16 | Loves to socialise at pubs, bars and clubs | 10% |
| 17 | She’s dealing with menopause and the pressures of day-to-day life | 9% |
| 18 | Plays sports with me | 8% |
| 19 | Started a passion project later in life | 7% |
| 20 | Has more followers than me on social media and makes TikTok vids with me | 6% |
Brits have given a huge shout out to the incredible women suffering with health issues and still putting their families first. In fact, with 16% of the vote is ‘has dealt with a chronic illness whilst supporting the family,’ followed by ‘she’s dealing with menopause and the pressures of day-to-day life’ (9%).
Cheffing skills (26%), travel aspirations (15%), fashion sense (14%), music taste (11%) and sports involvement (8%) are all included as reasons people think their mum is cool, with the realism of a mother’s impact overtaking their social media presence, which got the fewest engagement at 6%.
The feeling of sentimental value is echoed across UK cities, with the highest-ranking reasons mirroring the overall messages of love, support and a family-first outlook:
| City | Most Popular Reason | Percentage |
| Belfast | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 50% |
| Birmingham | Always puts her family first | 43% |
| Bristol | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 35% |
| Cardiff | Always puts her family first | 73% |
| Edinburgh | Always puts her family first | 59% |
| Glasgow | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 50% |
| Leeds | Always puts her family first | 58% |
| Liverpool | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 47% |
| London | Is strong and supportive in difficult situations | 42% |
| Manchester | Always puts her family first | 46% |
| Newcastle | Always puts her family first | 32% |
| Norwich | Always puts her family first | 38% |
| Nottingham | Always puts her family first | 52% |
| Sheffield | Always puts her family first | 43% |
| Southampton | Always makes time for her family and friends even though she’s busy | 33% |
Interestingly, even age and gender splits hold the same sentimental value, with 18–24-year-olds choosing support (42%) over music taste (21%) and making TikTok videos together (16%). 21% of women think their mum is cool because she has ‘helped them know how amazing it is to be a woman,’ whilst men appreciate their mother’s independence, with 21% voting for the fact that their mum ‘goes to things by herself.’
To celebrate the amazing reasons people think their mums are cool on Mother’s Day, thortful has created a range of cards with the messaging from the study:
