Mom isn't the little old lady from Pasadena. And you're not a kid anymore. So stun her on Mother's Day --- give her books that don't talk down to her. Like these ten...
Mike Bender and Doug Chernack: The 12 Weirdest Mother's Day 'Awkward Family Photos' (PHOTOS, POLL)
This Mother's Day, let's celebrate mom for always being there for us; still, it wouldn't hurt for her to stop picking up the phone when we're already on the line.
For someone who really does want to give mom a piece of literature for Mother's day, write it!! As a mom, there's nothing that melts my heart faster than something one of my boys has written. My youngest has gifted me with about a dozen poems and they've all be sealed and placed in his baby album. Recently, he wrote a short story about an incident from my childhood. He'd remembered the story because it made a big impact on him and he wrote the short story for eng. lit. but reading it was the greatest gift he could have ever given me.
I find a book as a gift to be... usually, pretty thoughtless unless it's an extraordinary book that means something to the giver and recipient. I'm a voracious reader so a gift of a borders or amazon gift cert. is always welcome but unless you know I'll enjoy and want the book you choose, I'd rather just have a well written card.
I really dislike the whole "Just give me money/gift card so I can satisfy my narcissistic needs."
I hate it when nieces and nephews or cousins or whomever turn up their noses at thoughtfully chosen gifts and instead say "Just give me money'gift card so I can never learn to appreciate that it's the thought that counts."
No one who is a truly "voracious reader" would ever find a book to be a "thoughtless gift."
That's my opinion. Everyone else is free to weigh in, too.
A friend bought me The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster after seeing a grouping of "for dummies" books on different religions on my desk, it was a gift I loved. Friends have bought me copies of chicken soup for the mother's soul II because I have a story in there about my mom and they thought I might like extra copies... they were right. My son who bought me Eat Pray Love this Christmas got me a two year subscription to Rolling Stone last year... one of my favourite gifts because I pick it up whenever I remember and I've been reading it for an embarrassing number of years. As a voracious reader (4-8 books a week), I tend to get books as gifts because it's easy... but anyone who knows me knows that I get my books at the library because a lifetime of reading means I have too many of them in my many bookcases and I'm trying to get rid of the ones I've amassed.
As I said, I'd rather have a well written card than a book bought because it was suggested on a website or in someone elses top 10 list.