The following guest post, and I wholeheartedly agree with the advice contained therein. It’s sound advice – believe me. I bought a similar birthday gift for my wife one year, and no nookie long time.
This just in: Police report a normally mild-mannered mother snapped today and attacked her family with a brand-new frying pan. Police sources said the woman had received the pan as a birthday gift only moments earlier.
OK, that’s a little far-fetched, but it’s easy to imagine how such a utilitarian gift might make a mother feel: not only does it fail to celebrate her as an individual (unless she’s a chef and the pan fancy-schmancy), but it also reminds her of a chore she probably doesn’t feel like thinking about, especially on her birthday.
When choosing birthday gifts for mom, the key is to consider HER wants and needs, not what you perceive her wants and needs to be. After seeing someone in the same role for years and years, it’s easy to begin to identify them with what they DO, and not who they really are. What was she interested in before the duties of motherhood became paramount? What does she enjoy doing in her spare time?
If you aren’t sure what her wants or needs are, spend some time talking to her about what interests her, what her passions are. Then get a little creative and decide on a gift that will help her develop her interests, or help her pursue something new that really interests her.
For instance, if she IS interested in cooking or if you want to add a little spice to her cooking chores, skip the boring frying pan and consider an herb garden that she can keep in the kitchen or right near the back door. A wide number of retailers sell herb gardens online and single-pot versions don’t take up much space. If you’re handy and want to add a personal touch, you can find directions online for making your own herb garden, too. Personalize the garden with a few recipes specific to the herbs you’ve chosen, either for food or for personal items, like lavender bath sachets.
Choosing birthday gifts for mom that she wants AND needs doesn’t have to be difficult; it just requires some time, maybe a bit of planning, and consideration for who she is as an individual. Take the time to learn what her needs and wants really are and in no time at all, you’ll be able to identify just the right gift to make her feel as special as she really is.
If you’d like to know what NOT to do for birthday parties check out these amazingly bad birthday party ideas.
