The recent visit home saw me spend a morning helping my mum declutter her jewellery drawer. As an editor, I spend my life making tough decisions on what to cut – prioritising the things that have genuine value over those that are simply taking up space. I would argue I’m efficient; my mother might use the word ruthless. Particularly when it came to a series of sparkly plastic jewels that she had accumulated over the last four decades; a series of birthday, Christmas and Mother’s Day gifts from her well-meaning but clueless sons. Some dated back to the early ’90s, when we lived in Hong Kong and my brothers would head to the local mall to find an iridescent jewel fit for their beloved mother – for under $20.
Most of these treasures have never seen the light of day, while others have been erased from our memories altogether with no one willing to claim ownership of the tacky trinkets.
While the intentions were sweet, in hindsight, we can all agree these purchases were misguided.
These days, we’re smart enough to know the only thing Mum really wants from us is the gift of time and attention. For me, that means taking her out for lunch or dinner when we’re in the same city. I don’t always know when or where that will be – so I send a GT Restaurant Gift Card as shorthand; a promise that I will see her soon and take her somewhere lovely.

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