So once you’ve decided that you will be a trendsetter in terms of obtaining the perfect gift for your mom on Mother’s Day this year, it is time to start thinking outside of the typical box. Unless your mom loves to pamper herself continually, another bottle of perfume, box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers will simply be a cop-out! Focus on her needs, desires, dreams, realities, and concerns. Answering one or more of these issues will have a greater impact on her long term than Chanel’s latest fragrance!
If you are a pre-teen or a teen with a “soccer mom,” consider helping your mother with an issue that is probably the bane of her current existence --- the car! Give her the gift of taking over responsibility for maintaining the family vehicle. Speaking from experience, this type of present is very much appreciated by the recipient!
- The giver’s responsibility would include weekly vacuum and wash duties, and perhaps maintaining a log of when the vehicle should be serviced, when the tires should be rotated, and when the license plate is up for renewal.
- A year of this type of gift costs the giver very little money, only a little bit of time on a consistent basis, and will teach the teen how to care for a vehicle.
- Again, this option creates a win-win situation for everyone!
The advent of Mother’s Day is always timed with the planting season across most of the country. So another wonderful option for the perfect Mother’s Day gift is to give a jump start to the summer plantings. This gift could be implemented in a number of different ways. However, some of the elements of this type of gift include:
- Spring clean-up of the planting beds
- Tilling and amending the soil in the planting beds
- Selection and purchase of the annuals and the pre-planted baskets
- Planting the annuals
- Selection and purchase of any vegetable plants
- Planting of the vegetable plants
Finally, if you are a technophile and your mother is a technophobe who desperately needs to be dragged into the world of mobile communication, consider setting her up with a cell phone. Now before you scream, “Cop-out!” realize that setting up a new person with a cell phone that is truly functional and integrated into the recipient’s life, is a significant undertaking.
- Don’t just throw an iPhone at Mom and think you’re going to get hugs and kisses from her!
- You will need to input numbers, download ringtones, set up speed dials, and teach Mom to text message.
- But most importantly, you will need to make sure that she understands the value and economy of being in communication with her loved ones, 24/7.
- Unless coached to the contrary, elderly people can mistakenly think that a cell phone is just for emergencies, and the thoughtful gift turns into the modern day equivalent of the living room that never gets used unless company is visiting.
