What does Mom Really Want for Mother’s Day this Year? Some Non-Commercial Mother's Day Gift Ideas

While the television ads—and email advertisements, department store flyers, and every other marketing material known to man are quick to claim that mom wants flowers, or diamonds, or gourmet chocolate, or a host of other somewhat unusual gifts marketed just for Mother’s Day, many Moms are rolling their eyes hoping that Dad and the Kiddos think outside the gift bag. What do some Moms really want for Mother’s Day?  Here are a few non-commercial, non-gift, gift ideas for Mother's Day this year!

Peace. No—not world peace, although that would be nice as well—but, many moms with multiple children would love a day of peace between siblings. No fighting over the video games, no battles over who’s first…or even second or fifth, no debates over who had a larger portion of gummy bears or goldfish crackers. A day of peace on Mother’s Day would be a gift worth far more than the price of a diamond tennis bracelet to many argument weary moms.

A Nap. Moms get to take naps??!?!?!?! I missed that day in Mom School as well. If you haven’t slept during the day since your sophomore was a newborn—you may have long forgotten the value of snuggling into bed for an afternoon nap. Give mom a nap for Mother’s Day—just make sure there isn’t a laundry list of things that she’ll need to find, fix or clean when she wakes up…you may need to offer that guarantee in writing pre-nap.

Send Mom and Dad on a date or Plan a Family Outing. Yes—Mom would like a date with Dad. How long has it been since Mom and Dad went out alone? (No, the marathon grocery shopping adventure at the warehouse store--where Mom has to take Dad or she can’t carry the 80 pound bag of dog food does not count as a date.) If spending the day with the whole family is more in tune with Mom's wishes--plan and manage a family outing or daytrip to a favorite spot or a location on her "bucket list".  Spending quality time with the people she loves is a wonderful gift for a mom on Mother's Day.

Prepare Dinner—with zero Mom-intervention. Yes—zero means that mom doesn’t clean the kitchen, wash the dishes or spend hours trying to figure out exactly WHAT Dad and the Kids used THAT pan or dish for!  Just plan a simple dinner—even at home…maybe with flowers or even with the kids dressed up a bit. Just make sure that Mom has no sous chef work, no planning, no preparation responsibilities—and no cleanup duty. That’s a Mother’s Day gift for many.

Give a gift from the heart. Moms can be emotional creatures. Sometimes—really—it IS the thought that counts. Take the time to preserve a memory—or plan an activity to create a new memory. Something this simple gift may be so much more valuable to a busy, devoted mom. Planting a new tree, creating a footprint stepping stone, making a photo book of the year’s memories—there are so many ways to remind Mom this year (and for years to follow) of the amazing year, and life, she’s had. (Between those memories of diapers, dishes, laundry, carpools, homework, work, and hazmat detail!)

What are some non-commercial gifts that you would like for Mother's Day this year?

This post was originally written in 2011 and updated for this Mother's Day!