With Mother's Day just around the corner, many feel the pressure of finding a way to show their appreciation and thanks to the woman who gave them life. Everyone seems to have their own ideas about what would make a good Mother's Day gift. 'Nothing says Happy Mother's Day like a ladies Tebowing shirt!' one company tweeted, promoting a t-shirt with an image of the New York Jets football player in his famous praying pose.
Nearly every popular news site or online magazine has some sort of 'Top Mother's Day Gifts' list containing the usual suspects: flowers, chocolates, spa treatments and kitchen gadgets. Most, however, ultimately own to the fact that it truly depends on the woman.
One might wonder with all the cards, candles and candies how to possibly maneuver their way through the jungle of Mother's Day gifts. Especially considering the different personalities, ages and stages of the mothers in their lives. However, a common theme echos the throughout the stories of many local moms who share their favorite Mother's Day experiences.
'My kids have a competition to see who can make Mom cry,' Maureen Porter said. Porter is a local mother with three grown children between the ages of 33 and 36. She smiled back tears as she related her fondest Mother's Day memory. When she was attending university, Porter made a special calligraphy on a parchment piece for her mother. Porter's father believed things should not be hung on the wall, so the piece was safely stowed away. After Porter's mother died, Porter's children retrieved the calligraphy piece and had it framed, where it finally found a place on the wall of her own home.
'It was just a really sweet sentiment,' Porter said.' Now my girls will fight about who will get it.'
Ginger Belknap is a mother of nine children between the ages of 7 and 24. When asked what her ideal Mother's Day gift would be, without skipping a beat she named service. Her 18-year-old daughter may be experiencing a surprise this year.
'I love the coupons. I found one that my daughter made 10 years ago for eight meals and two foot rubs, and I'm cashing in this year,' Belknap said with a laugh. 'See, she can actually make the meals now.'
Other mothers revealed that personalized, sentimental gestures were always on the top of their list. Young mothers and seasoned nuturers alike most appreciated notes, acts of service and even duct tape flowers.
The number one thing to remember for your Mother's Day gift this year is that sentiment rules.