I was driving a few days ago when an advertisement came on for a Mother’s Day giveaway. Immediately I perked up and cranked the volume, reveling in one of those perfectly random times it can seriously pay off to be a mom. I was hoping for a massage, or maybe a free coffee or two.
Imagine my disappointment when the guy announced the items in this super fabulous Mother’s Day giveaway were a cookbook and some fancy-sounding mixer set.
If it had been possible in that moment for me to reach through the radio and smack that man upside the head, I probably would’ve done it. I had to content myself with going on a ten-block-long rant to myself. I’m sure he wasn’t the one who decided on the items in their giveaway but seriously, whose bright idea was it?
Because that’s just what moms want for Mother’s Day – the tools to bake more.
And just in case that not-so-subtle hint wasn’t enough, let’s throw in a cookbook. So they’re sure to know their list of go-to dinners could use a little expansion. I suppose there are many moms out there who would love to win a brand new mixer set and score some new recipes in the bargain. For those of us less Betty Crocker-types though, it’s a big no thanks.
Things I think of as the best Mother’s Day gifts are those that give mom the chance to do the one thing she never gets to do on any other day of the year. That is, to not do a damn thing.
Maybe it’s sleeping in past 9 a.m. Or maybe it’s an afternoon of shopping and fun with friends she hasn’t seen in months. If you’re feeling really generous, massages or spa days are sure to win some serious brownie points.
My point is, the best Mother’s Day gifts are those that give mom just a little time away from being mom. A few blissful hours filled with uninterrupted conversation, or the even more elusive, complete silence.
I would love any of those things for Mother’s Day. Mostly, I want to sleep until Skye wakes up instead of cajoling her out of bed before she’s ready. I want to lie on the couch with my daughter and watch cartoons and eat breakfast together, instead of packing a muffin for her and banana for me to eat on the way to daycare where I’ll drop her before heading into work.
I’d love to have Mother’s Day breakfast at home, even if I had to make it myself, instead of spending six hours serving other people food.
Alas, that’s what I’ll be doing this year for Mother’s Day, just as I have for the past two years. Though there is a silver lining. After work I will make the drive to go home and be with my own mom, which is really the best present I could imagine for a day dedicated to mothers.
Moral of the story: unless your baking-inclined mom asks for it, don’t get her a mixing set for Mother’s Day. You should probably keep the cookbook for a different occasion as well.
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