What You Want for Her Mother’s Day is Probably Wrong

by Aaron Boulding
in Advice for New Dads · Featured · Holiday Dad Gift Ideas
— 7 May, 2012

Unless you’re willing to throw a rush order on top of your online gift order today, you’ve probably missed the online shopping window for the perfect Mother’s Day gift. You were probably going to get the wrong gift anyway, according to a survey from online retailer ebates.com. For those of us who just want to pull off a mistake-free Mother’s Day, advice on gifts is handy right about now and we’ve already brainstormed some local shopping options now that online shopping is no longer an option.

Their survey found that real-life mothers prefer, in order, 1)Spa Day, 2)Flowers and 3)Jewelry for Mother’s Day. All of those gifts, of course, ran behind the most popular Mother’s Day wish: a day off with no responsibilities. Dads, on the other hand, think women want, in order, 1) Flowers, 2)Jewelry and 3)Spa Day as Mother’s Day gifts. Obviously moms and dads are wishfully thinking with these gift choices and that makes sense for the mothers. Dads, buying flowers and calling it a day is certainly easy but you’re really leaning on the “it’s the thought that counts” justification. We want flowers to count more than they actually will and you know gift giving is the time to make up for past transgressions. Don’t fumble this one.

We’re throwing this info at you today for a reason. Flowers reek of last-minute gift giving and we don’t want you to go out like that this Sunday, May 13 (don’t act like you didn’t need that). Find a local spa that smells like jasmine or something earthy, kick down for at least the medium-level package and then make a big presentation of it on Mother’s Day morning. That’s what we’re going to do.

What gift ideas are you kicking around for Mother’s Day? Hit us on Twitter, @playgrounddad