A mum’s job never finishes. We slave day in and day out, clean house, wipe noses, help with homework and cook dinner all at the same time, within 10 minutes or less. Mums know exactly what our children are thinking… and when they’re lying. We have super powers, never missing a beat and saving the world before bedtime every night.

Mums never get a day off work, but there’s one day where heroines everywhere are celebrated for our super bionic strength as a mother. That day is Mother’s Day and it’s the one day we’re finally appreciated and showered with the best of gifts!

…or maybe not.

Have you ever anticipated receiving the most awesome Mother’s Day surprise only to find out that the jokes on you? I’m sure many mums can agree that Mother’s Day presents can be the absolute worse.

Horrible gifts include:

–   Getting clothes that clearly don’t fit, reminding you of how much you need to lose weight

–   Breakfast in bed that leaves you washing the dishes

–   A framed picture of the family looking great… except for you (my pet hate)

–   The sniffles after you’ve nursed the whole house back to health

–   Clothing in a color that doesn’t suit your colouring or match with anything in your closet

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching and it reminds me of my very first celebration as a mum. My husband (God love Handsome) forgot all about it. (How do you forget Mother’s Day?!) He hustled at the last minute, trying to get me a gift and I ended up getting flowers… from the petrol station. I got limp, wilted flowers for giving the gift of life. What joy.

Men have no clue on how to choose gifts. The present either does not fit, look odd, require our assistance, or leave us looking clueless. We never really know what the gift is, as it has no clear identity and bought at the “I Don’t Know” shop that generally does  great business – especially around Mother’s Day.

I would like to think that men would buy such ridiculous gifts on purpose as a joke, but they really have no idea on what we really want. They pay less attention to the things we love and more attention to the things we can’t stand, hence our horrible Mother’s Day gift handed to us in a sack.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the guys finally got it right and gave us mums the gifts we really want? What if the question mark above their clueless heads turned into an exclamation point? It would be a dream if men didn’t buy our gifts from the “I Don’t Know” store and from a real place, like the one at a shopping centre. How exciting!

What was your most horrible Mother’s Day gift? I know you have one because all (ok most) men are oblivious to getting us good gifts. Maybe he got you a scented moisturizer that irritated your skin until it turned beetroot red. Or maybe, he told you that the dress he bought you was the same as your neighbor – you know the one you couldn’t care less for. Perhaps he insisted on cooking dinner and nearly burned the house down so you all ate a bowl of cereal instead.

Whatever the gift, nothing beats the gift of being a mum. It’s an honor to give life and watch our children grow into someone great. Thank goodness it softens the blow of receiving those infamous, crappy gifts.

Every woman has a Mother’s Day story. Join the fun and tell us all about it below!

In Glamour, Comfort & Sparkles

Monique xx