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The Mother’s Day debate: Stay in or go out?

NEW YORK — Leslie Young is the California mom of three kids 9 and younger. For her, Mother’s Day is far from serene.

NEW YORK — Leslie Young is the California mom of three kids 9 and younger. For her, Mother’s Day is far from serene.

“Just because it’s Mother’s Day doesn’t mean the nurse, chauffeur, chef, janitor, hairstylist or activity co-ordinator get the day off,” she said of all the hats she wears.

In fact, her Mother’s Day will begin the Saturday before, when she’ll organize a gathering for her own mom, then a Sunday, after-church affair for her mother-in-law, typically in a fancy restaurant around Carlsbad, north of San Diego, where she lives — and the 36-year-old Young considers a fancy restaurant “nothing short of a circus.”

“I would love to spend Mother’s Day at home, where my kids can run amok and it doesn’t matter because no one else is there to judge me,” she said.

Sorry, Leslie, but do know that you’re not alone.

Staying home for Mother’s Day versus going out for a special meal is befuddling for others as well, and especially families with small children. On the one hand, yay! Fancy outing.

On the other hand, yikes!

Who’s got the energy and wants to spend it chasing little ones around a restaurant?

And it’s not always just about little kids around white tablecloths and spillable drinks.

According to National Restaurant Association research last year, the latest available from the trade group, 35 per cent of Americans said they planned to dine out on Mother’s Day, with 13 per cent choosing buffet style restaurants.

About 13 per cent said they would opt for breakfast, 26 per cent brunch and 46 per cent dinner, with some planning multiple restaurant or order-in options.

Casual dining prevailed among 69 per cent of Mother’s Day diners surveyed, while 21 per cent went for fine dining.

Fewer than half — 45 per cent — were eating out with children under 18.