This is a classic Edgeryders theme. A lot of people in this community have been quite vocal about vouching for leisure as a value in and of itself, and especially in distinguishing “doing the work” (good) and “having a job” (meh).
You could tell your mother to read David Graeber’s seminal Bullshit Jobs. The intuition is that, with some exceptions (doctors are the most obvious one) our economy tends to underpay important work, that needs to be done for society to function properly (example: collective garbage). with respect to unimportant work, that could stop tomorrow with no consequences (or even positive consequences) for society (example: stock market traders).
@MariaEuler maybe this book will give you an idea of the many emotional aspects that are claimed by our work and which often go unaccounted for. It really helped me regulate the ‘self’ that is built as a working person and draw the line between that and other personal aspirations. Highly recommended :