If you are like me, every year I plan on coming up with a GRAND gift for Mother’s Day. However, it seems to come down to the last minute and I scramble to find decent flowers at the grocery store. My kids are getting older, 10 and 13 years old, and I have tried to get them involved with coming up with ideas. Unfortunately, their only response is either, “I don’t know” or “I don’t want to do THAT”. Years ago, when they were little, it was easy. I would get a poster board, drag the babies out on the back porch, give them some finger paint and stand back. BAM!!! An instant Mother’s Day gift that would be treasured for years. We actually still have ours framed in our living room.
So this year, I tried to solicit ideas from the “experts”…other Moms. I asked colleagues and friends these questions – “What is your best Mother’s Day memory? What did you do, or what did you receive?”
Although I received a variety of answers. Here are the most impressive:
- House full of fresh flowers: This was given to me by one of my wife’s best friends. She came home from church on Sunday to find arrangements of flowers all over the house. Unfortunately, she said it in front of my wife, so I made a note and will file this one away for a few years.
- Vase of handmade tissue flowers: This idea came from a mother whose children filled a vase with handmade tissue paper flowers. You should have seen her face light up when she told me about the flowers. She said she still has them to this day!
- Homemade Brunch: This event could be great for young or older kids. I had several mothers share their brunch adventures with me. As one mother put it, “You never know what you will get! That’s what makes it fun!”
- All about Mom Day: A mom overheard me talking to the other mom’s in the office and chimed in about her Mother’s best Mother’s Day. She said her mom never stops talking about how her siblings coordinated their families to surprise Grandma with the entire family. They made the entire day about her and lavished all the attention on her.
- My favorite Response: The funniest response I received was from a new mother who said her husband still has not figured it out. She has her fingers crossed that this will the year he figures it out. Maybe I should send this blog to him. In the meantime…here are some ideas of what NOT to give moms!
So fellas, let’s learn from each other and maybe, just maybe, this blog will help some of those struggling husbands come up with a great idea for Mother’s Day. One good thing did come from asking friends about their experiences – I made sure to ask in front of my wife! Of course, I prefaced the question with, “I am working on a blog for work.” It did not take long for my wife to jump in and tell me exactly what she wanted for Mother’s Day, off to brunch we’ll go!