Mother’s Day Is 100, but These Gifts Cost Less

Though Mother’s Day is one hundred years old this year, my mother isn’t. She’s sixty-eight with a twenty-year-old’s sense of humor. When asked what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she told me her obituary written and read to her before she died. So I hung up and called my middle sister to ask her what she wanted for Mother’s Day. She said more fake flowers to plant in her front garden. There’s no doubt the two of them are in my life for a reason—to humor and challenge me. I considered their ideas for a minute, until I realized they never ask for what they need, so it’s time to rise to the challenge.

Mom Needs Some R&R

I’ve never met a mother who took herself to the spa, except for my young mother friends who learned a thing a two in their twenties. Spafinder.com lets you search by zip code or treatment, and offers best buy recommendations and gift certificates that can be redeemed at over 4,000 spas in the world. I’m certain my mom would appreciate the offer at Arc House in Monclar de Quercy, France, where they’ll pay her airfare up to $900 if she comes for a treatment, but I’ll have to settle for a massage and facial for her in the Back Bay of Boston.

Mommy Needs Her Greens

Photo courtesy of AeroGarden

My mom happens to have a green thumb (that I didn’t inherit), but it doesn’t go any further than her flower boxes. I’m always encouraging her to eat healthier (who’s the mom here?) and I stock up on greens during my summer visits. The AeroGarden might give her something to care for since I no longer live under her roof, and it’s a fun activity to do with the grandkids—you know, to teach them that food grows and doesn’t come from a shelf.

Mom Needs Her Sleep

Photo courtesy of Pajamagram

When I picture my mom before bedtime, she’s usually wearing some concoction of nighttime garb (like the night she had to call the ambulance and was wearing her favorite sweatshirt, “I used to be schizophrenic, but now we’re fine”). Now she’s become a Pajamagram-aholic and sends pajamagrams to all the women in her life. These pajamas will tell the mom in your life that she’s super (and nowhere near schizophrenic).