Feeling a bit nervous about sending Mom an email? Use these guidelines and tips to relieve some of the stress – and keep the communication going.
You’ve likely known her longer than anyone, but that doesn’t mean her face wouldn’t light up if your email showed up in her inbox. That’s right — we’re talking about emailing Mom!
Sending Mom an email is a great way to keep in touch with her and remind her to stay in touch with you.
Here’s everything you need to know before you send an email to your mom, with all of the best guidelines and tips.
Why you should email your mom
I hope you regularly see your mom in person if you’re both in the same area. If mom is long-distance, you may not see her as much as you would like, but remember that she’s just a phone call away.
However, even if your mom is across the street, and you talk on the phone, there are still great reasons to email her. Here are some of the best reasons:
You could give her a great surprise. Imagine your mom scrolling through the more than 100 emails that most people get every day and seeing that one of her children wrote her a message.
Your emails could be a way for both of you to reminisce. If you don’t go back and read old emails, you’re missing out. Emails are great for taking you back to another time and place. That way, your emails to Mom can be a pleasant memory or digital keepsake.
You can send Mom an email to ask her for the recipe for something you loved from childhood. That way you’ll have that recipe in your inbox forever.
If it’s been a long time since you talked to your mom and it’s beginning to feel awkward, you can relieve some of the tension and send an email. Don’t let any more days pass. Avoid regret – send that email.
Is there a subject you’re not quite ready to talk about face to face? Maybe you’re embarrassed, or you think it will embarrass your mom. Perhaps you’re a little worried that you’d say the wrong thing in person or over the phone. Consider writing an email covering that touchy subject.
TIP: Don’t put your mom’s email address in the recipient field (or “to” field) until you’ve read your message and are sure you want to send it. If you leave it blank until you hit send, it ensures you don’t accidentally hit send. There are many horror stories of emails that went out when they shouldn’t have.
How to send mom an email she’ll appreciate
Emailing your mom isn’t like emailing your boss or co-worker. You should feel comfortable expressing yourself. This means that the most important thing is just to be yourself.
Here are some guidelines.
Guideline #1 – Don’t be overly formal
If you can’t be casual with your family, who else can you be? You’ll want to be free and easy with your mom. The secret to sending mom an email is to write in the same voice like you talk. There’s no difference.
Guideline #2 – Ask about her
Mothers tend to be very interested in their children, but it’s nice if you start the email focusing on her. Show a genuine interest in what she’s up to and how she is doing. This means more than a superficial “How are you?” Mention things you know about her and find out what’s new.
Guideline #3 – Tell her about you
You’ll also want to involve your mom in what’s new in your life. Many mothers are worriers, so be careful not to say anything needlessly to cause her strife.
Guideline #4 – Go for shorter emails, but send more
What I’ve observed with emails to parents is that sometimes, in your busy life, there’s a bit of a delay in your responses. There’s a great workaround that will allow your mom and you both to interact more.
Opt for shorter emails, but send more of them. This way, sending emails to your mom brings both of you joy a few times a week and isn’t a rare occurrence. What’s more, a short email seems less daunting and feels easier to reply to.
More tips on emailing mom
Here are some ideas to make your email correspondence with your mother even more enjoyable.
Don’t decide on the subject until you finish writing the email. If you pick the subject, it may sway what the email is about. Instead, read what you wrote and then come up with a clever or concise way to encapsulate the topics. My mom likes it when I choose a zany or witty subject line.
Don’t forget the power of attachments! Maybe your mom would like to see a picture of something going on in your life – like your new kitten.
You can also use emojis to inject personality into your emails.
Not sure if your email will reach Mom?
Not everyone is close to their family. If you haven’t emailed your mom in a long time, you want to make sure her email address is still valid and in use. She may have changed it since you last wrote. Finding out is easy.
Just run her email address though this free email verification tool. It will tell you if your mom’s contact is still valid – if it’s not, you’ll avoid a bounce-back and try to find another way to get in touch.
It’s always a good day to send Mom an email
The great thing about your parents is that you don’t need an excuse to communicate with them. Even an email that says, “I just wanted to say hi” will make Mom’s day. Don’t hesitate.
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