Blog 

Although of course, mothers and caregivers should be celebrated each and every day, Sunday 14 May is officially the time in the calendar to treat our beloved mamas. Marijn Kögeler (Marketing Coordinator), Frederique van Putten (Clinic Manager), and Charley Larcombe (Content Creator) from the Kazem Aesthetica team sit down to share their memories.

What is your earliest memory of your mother/caregiver?

Marijn: The first memory that pops into my head, is how she would always cradle me when I was in pain. As a kid I used to have a lot of ear/throat infections and couldn’t sleep because of the pain. I remember that my mother used to sit down by the bed and cradle me for hours until I was asleep.

Frederique: A very strong memory for me is how my mother used to endlessly comb my hair before I went to sleep.

Charley: Not necessarily my earliest but one of my strongest memories as a very young child was the smell of mum’s perfume. She wore Guerlain’s Mitsouko and I can remember being enveloped in the scent when she hugged me and it lingering in the air as she left the room. It was a delicious smell but also so reassuring.

How was your relationship as you were growing up?

Marijn: As a family of four, with one older brother, we have always had a very close relationship. There is nothing we couldn’t discuss at home. It felt and still feels like a safe haven. My mother and I are alike, not only in how we look but also in terms of our character. We’re both stubborn, so that can result in a feisty discussion sometimes! But afterwards we always laugh about it.

Frederique: I could always tell my mother everything, nothing was too crazy and no secret too big. Friends often sat with us at the kitchen table and shared their exciting secrets about boyfriends etc. She has a great sense of humor so we can really laugh together.

Charley: We literally spoke all the time. I would spend the weekend at my parent’s house before getting up at dawn to drive back to university in time for Monday morning lectures. After about 20 minutes in the car, I would call Mum to chat all the way up the high way. I have absolutely no idea what we had left to talk about!

When did you begin to see them as more than just ‘Mum’?

Marijn: I think when I became a more grown-up woman, at the end of my puberty. Then you start to realize she does things for your best interest and you start to appreciate that more.

Frederique: My mother became more and more my friend when I left home and went to Lausanne, for a gap year, to study French. The bond grew stronger, and we called often. The role she had and still has in the family became very clear to me, maybe because of the distance.

Charley: When we began to really talk and I would hear about her life before she met my father, before she was married, before she was a mother, before I was everything to her.

What is your most cherished memory with them?

Marijn: Because both my parents worked at Schiphol Airport, we had the luxury of travelling a lot. As a child I have seen the most beautiful places and made memories for life. From a safari in Kenya, to travelling through Thailand and sleeping with a tribe or driving through the States from place to place.

Frederique: The most beautiful memories are mainly in being together with the whole family. We are very close, and we like to travel and celebrate every birthday! My mother’s 75th birthday was wonderful as we were all together on a tropical island.

Charley: I am lucky that I have many. Walking the family dogs along the stony beach on a summer’s day; birthday lunches with too much champagne; her first day in Singapore when I had moved there in my late 20s – she had never flown to that part of the world and was overawed.

How do you make memories with them now?

Marijn: Planning brunches or dinners on Bank Holidays, dropping by regularly just to catch up with a glass of wine, long walks on the beach, or enjoying an afternoon on the water on my parent’s sailing boat.

Frederique: We love to take a walk with the dog or cook a nice diner and have my parents over, just taking the time to sit and talk together.

Charley: Still walking the dogs, stolen lunches in London, family dinners at home where I cook and she tells me how I’m using the oven incorrectly, glass of wine in the sun in the pony fields in the country.

How would you treat them for Mother’s Day?

Marijn: To spoil her with me-time, by giving her a skin treatment, cause she doesn’t spoil herself in that way. My mother is always busy with helping out others, taking care of her grandchildren, but forgets herself too often.

Frederique: Last year I decided to take my mother for a lunch on Mother’s Day and it was so special that we are not making it our tradition.

Charley: Time. My mother never sits down so I would like to carve out some time, where she sat and relaxed and didn’t think about all of the work and chores and little jobs she wanted to do.

We all want to spoil our mother’s this Mother’s Day. Invariably they are so busy focusing on the needs of the family that too often they fail to spoil themselves. So this year we’re treating them to some quality ‘Me Time’. Whether that’s a sumptuous Hydrafacial at our luxurious clinic or an indulgent lunch in the city, this year we are celebrating our mums. For all they have done and continue to do.