I'm one of the lucky ones. Every year for my birthday, Christmas and Mother's Day, my husband takes the kids out to pick out something special for mom. It's actually one of my most favorite things, not because I get a gift out of it (although that does kind of rock), but because I get to see how excited my little ones get and find it adorable (albeit amusing) to see how proudly they present the one item they seem as a Mommy must-have.
Year after year -- without fail -- my younger son heads directly for the jewelry counter. Well, not the counter exactly, but the area by the counter. Well, not the area by the counter but the one behind that, the spot reserved for the jewelry-esque accessories worn only by girls born after 1990, most of which are covered in feathers, colorful gems, beads or some combination of the three embellishments. With as much gusto his little body can muster, my little man carefully, yet enthusiastically, makes his selection.
"These!" he chooses, with his dimpled grin and smiley eyes looking up at my husband as he hands the ear ornaments over, his excitement never waning.
Flash forward to Christmas morning, when I unwrap the package and discover the youthful, bright blue, dangling earrings that more closely resemble something you'd put on the tree than a middle-aged mom's lobes.
"Put them on, Mom," he practically begs.
Of course I do, because I'm not Joan Crawford here, people. I wear them all day and all night and watch my son's face beam every time he looks at me.
After that, I might pull the earrings out on occasion and wear them (mostly around the house or to the grocery store), enough to show my son how much I appreciate him and his efforts. But some moms admitted they somehow "misplace" the earrings after that Christmas day, even returning them to the store to get something they prefer. At what point is it about the kid and not the gift?
Do you rock the gifts hand-picked by your little ones?