Tired of lame Mother’s Day gifts and cards?
Then join me in petitioning the government to swap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day on the calendar.
Father’s Day needs to come first, and I’ll explain why.
In many households, (though certainly not all), it’s Mom who runs the Bureau of Thoughtfulness.
Mom does the gift shopping, card sending and party planning.
She pays attention to hints dropped and wants unfulfilled. She’s so skilled at tending to the needs of others that she’s actually been awarded an annual holiday – Mother’s Day. And it’s on that holiday that her skills are most sorely missed. By her.
Last year, Dave sort of forgot about Mother’s Day. He remembered to send his mom a card. He just didn’t realize that with Viv too young to craft a macaroni necklace or pick a bouquet of dandelions, it was his job to provide for my Mother’s Day needs.
And I have needs.
I’m kind of a holiday whore. Even at my age, I still like to make a big deal over my birthday, and maybe wear a tiara.
Dave knows this about me, and so far he had always come through. He’s also a genius with spontaneous flowers, which I will never take for granted (Honey: NEVER). Look at these beauties that are in my living room right now, just because.
So when it came to Mother’s Day, I figured, no big deal, he’ll catch on. Just to be on the safe side, I made an extra special fuss over Father’s Day. He deserved it, being the fab Dad that he is, but I also hoped my planning efforts would rub off on him.
Fast forward to May, 2012. When I asked if he’d made any plans for Mother’s Day yet (I didn’t want to accidentally double-book spa appointments), Dave seemed…confused. We are spending the holiday with his extended family, and once again he had associated Mother’s Day responsibilities with the older generations. In a way, this is flattering — he thinks of me as his girlfriend, not somebody’s Mommy. But the holiday whore in me didn’t see it that way.
Me: “Honey, how could you not be thinking about Mother’s Day? Don’t you remember that nice Father’s Day we had with brunch and presents?”
Him: “Not really. That was like, a whole year ago.”
And therein lies the problem.
Which brings me back to my original point:
Swap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and everyone wins. If Father’s Day comes first, in May, then Dads will enjoy the bar-setting bounty of their holiday. When Mother’s Day rolls around in June, Moms will benefit from the recent memory of their Father’s Day efforts.
Write to your congressmen. Especially the congresswomen.
Are you with me?
Happy Father’s Day.
Count me in! This is a brilliant idea. “I didn’t want to accidentally double-book spa appointments” made me LOL!
Thanks Jerry! Alas, I have still not been to the spa…yet.
I literally had the same thought last night! Couldn’t agree with you more! I know either nothing will get planned (or purchased,) unless I drop hints or flat out just say it.
Hope your man hooked you up this year, Gina!
I am SO on board! Last Mother’s Day was my first and I actually ended up going out that day and buying myself a card just to prove a point. It totally didn’t occur to my husband that he needed to do anything, which floored me because he is usually way into giving gifts!
It seems like this is an epidemic. At least we’re not alone!
so smart. you must be a mommy. my husband started panicking today when he realized he didn’t have a card to give me and that mothering day in london was in march so he doesn’t have a hope in hell of finding one in the stores. i’m interested in seeing what he comes up with. luckily i already bought my present for him to give me.
Suzy, well, what happened? Did he come through?
I will sign your petition, do we go to change.org for that? 😉
Great Katie, get it started!
This. is. GENIUS. My husband is a super lame gift buyer, and he knows this. So he goes for the hodge-podge bag of random stuff he knows I use or like. As in– this Mother’s Day, I got germ-X, nutella, a water bottle, a lip balm… the lame list goes on. But I try to go all out and do something super thoughtful, creative, and unique for him. Something I know he’ll be wowed by and would never buy for himself. I feel as if this massive chasm will never be bridged…. but a holiday swap? No that’s epic.
I have to confess, I’d be pretty bowled over by nutella. He’s bringing it down with the germ-X though 🙂
This year I sent Jon a link two weeks beforehand with a Tory Burch bag that I really wanted. Can you tell that it’s my 9th Mother’s Day? I’m not messing around with subtly anymore. And I love my bag… 🙂
The direct approach – I like it!