The things you overhear

I popped into town last week to buy a birthday card after my dwindling stash at home was unable to come up with something "right" for that person. Whilst I was browsing I overheard this conversation:

Youth 1 to Sales assistant: "So what's the most popular thing for Mother's Day, what are people buying?"

Sales assistant shows him some items that are selling well....

Youth 1 "Yeah, she'd like that, what else is there?"

Youth 2 " not exactly original though is it, like you've thought much about it" or words to that effect...

I felt SO sad, not just because it seemed to be a case of "Oh it's Mother's Day, I need to buy stuff, something, anything, just to make her feel like I've remembered, yeah, she'll like that...", but because he could do something that would mean so much more to her.


This is what I wanted to say to him:

"Okay, how about this, tell your Mum, you are going to do something different this year for Mother's Day. Tell her your gonna take her out for coffee and spend some time with her, buy her a Danish Pastry and tell her you love her. Tell her that despite the fact that you may drive her crazy at times, actually you really appreciate everything she does for you and you may even try to do this again in the future, just because you want to, not because you feel under any obligation. She will probably have a little cry which she will try and conceal unsuccessfully, but she will probably tell her friends, it was the best Mother's Day present she ever had, even surpassing the first one you ever made at Pre School"

Yep, that's what I'd say to him....but then I'd have to turn that around because it works both ways and I know I still have much to learn too.

A quick disclaimer, this is a detached remark and in no way reflects my own feelings towards my boys and Mother's Day!