Mom Tells Family If Their Gift Requires Any Of These Things, It’s Not A Mother’s Day Gift
When in doubt, the mom said to use Father's Day gifts as a guide.
Chay_Tee | Shutterstock With Mother's Day quickly approaching, Mom, Jessica Molina, is issuing an important PSA on behalf of all moms. She said if you're giving a gift for the holiday and it requires any work in order for mom to enjoy it, it's not a gift!
Turns out, moms are subjected to a whole lot of gifts that aren't actually gifts that pamper just her. And since the National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a whopping $33.5 billion on the holiday, you might as well use those dollars for something she'll actually enjoy. Sadly, in many cases, these gifts either benefit the whole family or actually require her to expend more energy to enjoy. That's not exactly saying "Mom, here's something that expresses how much we love you." Confused? Fret not.
Molina has all the details about what you should avoid when showering mom with gifts on her special day.
According to Molina, she learned the truth about Mother's Day gifts from her own mother, who drilled these truths into her family from the get-go. And now, as a mom herself, she is passing down the wisdom.
“If it’s something to clean, to decorate, or keep maintenance of any kind in the house, it is not a Mother’s Day gift. It is a family gift,” Molina said in a video. “If it’s something that is for cooking or for baking, it is not a Mother’s Day gift. That is a family gift because all can benefit from it.”
She went on to say, “A Mother’s Day gift is thinking specifically of the mother, and what she would like. It’s not just another thing for the home that we’re disguising as a gift for mom.”
We hate to break it to you, but your mom definitely does not want another macaroni picture frame that’s just going to leave a mess everywhere, that she’ll likely be the one cleaning, or coupon books for “free hugs” that never even get redeemed. What she wants is a spa day, the new purse she denied herself so the kids could get indulged, or just a much-deserved day by herself as a break from all of the physical and emotional labors that are expected of her simply because she’s a mom.
The mom explained that meaningful gifts hold deep value for the moms in her family.
When other moms noted that some might genuinely want a new vacuum or air fryer to make life easier, Molina agreed that could be true. However, in her family, that’s rarely the case. “My mom is the youngest of nine of a Puerto Rican immigrant family, and my grandmother was a homemaker her entire life,” she shared in a follow-up video.
“They grew up poor, so yes, a gift was an iron that could then be used for the entire family. But when you see that your entire life and you don't see that someone is able to receive gifts of things that they want, then yeah, I think that absolutely impacts your perception now.”
Sebastián León Prado | Unsplash
Even if her family could not afford luxurious Mother’s Day gifts and depended on the necessities that could benefit the whole family, Molina said her mother still set the standard that if anyone was going to get her a gift, it had to honor her and only her.
When in doubt, the mom said to use Father's Day gifts as a guide.
She also challenged viewers to ask themselves what they typically get for their dads for Father’s Day. It is likely a sports jersey that represents his favorite team or a new set of golf clubs. These are all gifts that he can thoroughly enjoy without sharing or laboring to enjoy.
He likely never gets a vacuum to clean the house with or a new mixer he can use to bake with. Does the same apply when it comes to your mom’s gifts?
This Mother’s Day, we are challenging you to really think outside of the box and just ask your mom what she really wants instead of surprising her with the same gas station flowers. Maybe she wants something frivolous. Maybe she wants a gift card to her favorite expensive steak house. Maybe she just wants some recognition that shows you are aware of just how hard she works. The last thing she wants on Mother’s Day is something that is just going to be more work.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
