A First Mother’s Day

I was shopping this morning for an appropriate Mother’s Day card to send to my Mom, when one of those makes-you-dizzy revelations hit me right between the eyes. I didn’t need just one Mother’s Day card – I needed two.

This is going to be the first Mother’s Day since our son was born, and now my wife isn’t simply my wife, she’s a Mother, too. A card and phone call usually gets me by as far as my Mom is concerned, but I think I’m going to need to come up with something a little more creative than that for my wife.

I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning towards a nice 8x10 frame with a family picture, breakfast in bed (my specialty is French toast), and a perfume-and-bath set (we both smell vaguely like baby spit-up most of the time). It’s different getting a Mother’s Day present when it’s for your wife, instead of your Mom. When you’re young, your Mom will pretty much like anything you make or do for her. Later, she’ll be happy with a card and a phone call.

But getting a Mother’s Day present for your wife is another thing, entirely. It’s a difficult balance to strike. A romantic gift that might work for a birthday or anniversary might not be appropriate on Mother’s Day. But then, you don’t want it to be too practical, either. A new coffee maker or Cuisinart would land me in the dog house for sure.

And then there’s the present I’ve got to get for my son to give her, too. That should be a lot easier, though. To tell you the truth, the best Mother’s Day present she’s going to get from him will be his beautiful smile. I don’t think I can come up with anything to beat that.