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Mother’s Day: Gift Ideas for Your Mom and Wife
by Laurie Wang
OK, I’m not going to lie to you. Mother’s Day is just as important to your wife as it is to your mother. It is one of those holidays that some people call a “chick holiday”—a day that is essential for a man to celebrate if he does not want to upset the women (wife and mother) in his life. Another example of this kind of holiday is Valentine’s Day.
What if she doesn’t know what she wants?
Let me share a secret about women: we lie... without knowing it. It’s not our fault really, we’ve just been wired to think men can read our minds. For example, a friend of mine told me about one year when her husband asked her what she wanted to do for Mother’s Day. She said she didn’t know. Her husband thought this meant he didn’t need to do anything. So, sadly, there was no actual celebration for Mother’s Day that year.
“’I don’t know’ means ‘surprise me!’” my friend told me. So there you go, your wife and mother may say they don’t know what they want, but now you know what they actually want: a surprise.
Team up
For Mother’s Day, fathers tend to think that it is only the kids’ responsibility to celebrate. Yes, the kids should do something. But the key is that you as a husband and father encourage the kids and provide them with ideas. On Mother’s Day, you and your children are a team working together to make Mom feel special and loved.
The traditional approach
Don’t be afraid to be traditional when you celebrate Mother’s Day. There are some surprises and gifts that will never go out of style. I can guarantee your wife or mother will love any of these ideas.
1. Breakfast in bed
Moms spend so much time serving their families that it is a treat when they get to be served. If you and the kids decide to do breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, remember to plan ahead. A last minute breakfast in bed is very apparent and may even fail.
Don’t be afraid to keep the breakfast simple. You and the kids don’t have to make an extravagant meal of french toast and omelets if you’ve never made them before. Serve her favorite breakfast items. If she loves muffins from the donut shop, then get those. Most importantly, don’t forget to be around to clean up so Mom doesn’t have to.
2. Flowers
You know how diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Well, flowers are probably next in the line of best friends, and much cheaper, to say the least. Carnations are the official Mother’s Day flowers, but you can get her other kinds too. A bouquet of roses, daffodils, gerbera daisies, lilies or her favorite kind of flower is beautiful and will make Mom feel appreciated.
If you and the kids want to be even more creative, try making a bouquet of origami (folded paper) flowers. You can borrow an origami book from the library or search online for instructions.
3. Clean the house
Get the kids together the day before or the morning of Mother’s Day and clean the house. Cleaning the bathroom or mopping the kitchen floor shows Mom you appreciate what she does around the house. Cleaning part of the house or the entire house will give Mom time to relax and take a load off her shoulders.
The non-traditional approach
1. Hot-air ballooning
On Mother’s Day, you can take her up in the air in a big balloon to admire the view from the top. Bring the kids with you too. Give her presents while you’re sailing in the sky. You can each take turns shouting out to the world why you love Mom.
2. Special tea time…
Or pottery time, crocheting time, reading time, dance time, scrap booking time, jogging time, shopping time… the list goes on. The idea is doing something Mom likes to do that you and the kids don’t. If she is passionate about jogging, then go jogging with her as a family. If she loves to have a special tea time, then share a tea time with her. The gift you’re giving here is essentially the gift of time, showing that you’re willing to sacrifice your time to do something she enjoys.
3. A WiFi Finder
Is Mom tech-savvy? Get her a WiFi Finder for Mother’s Day. This smart device by IOGEAR that searches for Wi-Fi hotspots is roughly half the size of a business card and can be attached to a key chain. When Mom is at the kids’ soccer games or dance lessons, she no longer has to boot up her laptop. Powered by two CR2032 batteries (watch batteries), this device detects any Wireless Local Area Network by the press of small “detect” button. It is the perfect tool for Moms on the go. Visit the IOGEAR WiFi Finder website for more information.
It’s all about the heart
At the end of the day, your wife and mom just want to know that they are loved and appreciated. It truly is the thought that counts. Whether you take the traditional approach, or the non-traditional approach, whether you tell her how wonderful she is by writing a letter or showering her with gifts, she will love it knowing that you took the time to care.
This year, mark Mother’s Day on your calendar and don’t forget to team up with the kids to let your wife know you love her and think she is special. And remember your own mother too!
~Laurie Wang has a B.A. in English from the University of Alberta and is an aspiring journalist. This Mother's Day, she will probably get her Mom flowers and enjoy a time of Karaoke with her and the rest of the family.