Mother's Day Cards Perfect For the Relationship You Actually Have With Your Mom

Before you resort to yet another sappy card to send off to your mom this Mother's Day, just like you've done every Mother's Day before, you might want to take a peek at the irreverent offerings from illustrator Emily McDowell.

"I write cards for the relationships we actually have, not the ones we wish we had, and I think that concept is especially applicable to Mother's Day," McDowell told POPSUGAR. "So many people's relationships with their mothers are much more complicated than 'I love you, you're the best mom ever.'"

McDowell — who also makes profoundly accurate cards for those struggling with cancer — has crafted cards especially for those who have a hard time with the holiday, either because their moms aren't a part of their lives or have passed on, and for those wanting to celebrate another maternal figure who's stepped up and filled the "mom" role.

She added: "For my Mother's Day cards, I think about the real, nontraditional relationships so many of us have with our moms, mom-figures, and the holiday itself, and I try to honor those relationships with truth and humor."

And even if your mom is the best mom ever, she's got options for that, too, and they're definitely ones with more staying power than any you'd find in the greeting-card aisle.

So, which one is McDowell sending to her own mother?

"I've sent my mom our checklist Mother's Day card twice, just because it's so appropriate," McDowell told us. "This one isn't technically a Mother's Day card, but I've also been known to send my female mom friends our 'You Are Doing A F&*king Great Job' card on Mother's Day."