As an adult, it’s nice to be able to give back to your parents and through gift giving, you can. Our culture celebrates an exchange of presents between loved ones a few times a year. In order to show how much you appreciate your mum, take the time to pick out a present that will make her life easier.
The best way to improve your mother’s life is to improve the quality of the tools she uses. A longer lever can apply more force with less work. While your mum doesn’t use a lever to perform all of her day-to-day tasks, she does have a number of appliances and devices that she uses. Consider the kind of things she enjoys as well as the kind of things she does the most. Can you make her favorite tasks even more fun? Can you make her chores easier so she has more time to devote to other things?
1. Kitchen Gifts
The kitchen is the best place to start when looking for gifts like this. You could purchase a blender, food processor, electric mixer or other automatic tool for your mum to save her valuable time when she cooks. An electric kettle or coffee maker can whip up beverages with ease while a breadmaker or rice cooker can automate complex cooking procedures. For those more serious about the culinary arts, a high end chef’s knife or knife set makes preparing delicacies a breeze. Be sure to consider your target audience — if your mum doesn’t cook much you might not want to splurge on an expensive food processor.
2. Household Items
Outside of the kitchen, look to other activities your mother performs around the house. If you’re willing to help her set it up, a digital video recorder for the television can allow your mum to catch all of her favorite shows without having to schedule around them. If she has pets, consider what kind of accessories might save her time — while a new litter box or water bowl isn’t the most glamorous thing, if it makes cleaning up after her pets easier it can save her a hefty sum of time. Consider what other tasks she performs often — does she clean? Sew? Scrapbook? A fancy new tool can make even the most mundane chores more fun and bearable or bring new excitement to an old hobby.
3. Fixing Things
Most of us have solved a number of problems in a fast, easy way and then forgotten about our jury-rigged solution. Is your mum’s coffee table held up by books after you broke the legs off when you were younger? Think about your childhood home — what things can you improve with a full set of problem solving skills? The best kinds of gifts will serve as a reference to past events. Even if you broke a vase decades ago, replacing it will brighten your mother’s day and show her you care.
4. Technological Toys
While high quality tools can make performing tasks more bearable, some devices can eliminate the need to do them completely. Many newer appliances have bluetooth or web integration, allowing you to control them from your phone or computer. Perhaps most practical, a robot vacuum cleaner can be programmed to automatically keep floors and carpets tidy without any human intervention at all. Any of these work saving devices will save your mother dozens of hours a month and allow her to spend more time doing the things she loves.
5. Pampering
Finally, look to services you can purchase for your parents. If your mother’s been talking about going to the gym for ages, get her a membership and schedule some sessions with a personal trainer. Things like dance classes or spa days are a perfect way to help your mum get out to spend time with her friends and loved ones. Even though it might not seem like you’re helping her directly, most adults won’t spend very much time or money on fun things for themselves. Giving a selfish indulgence as a gift gives her an excuse to do the things she loves.
It’s nice to give back to your parents. This gift giving season, consider spending a bit of extra time to help pick out the perfect gift for mum. With a little bit of planning and forethought you’ll be able to pick out the perfect gift to help make her life easier. Best of all, by choosing something that helps her to perform everyday tasks you’ll ensure that she thinks of you every time she uses it.
