Last year, Mothers Day spending on brunches, jewelry, salon appointments, flowers and greeting cards topped $20 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. And no doubt retailers hope to meet that amount this year too. Brands like American Greetings and Kay Jewelers, a Mothers Day advertising regular, portray the holiday, and therefore motherhood, as an event for young women doted on by attentive husbands and young children[took out the video ref since that wasnt an example of mothers being doted on]. But for many, both the holiday and the reality are as much about being a mother as they are about having, and caring for, their own mothers. And mothers taking care of mothers need more than mimosas and manicures to cope with life in the sandwich generation.