Hey, Dads! Mother’s Day is coming…

Follow

Are you one of those dads that’s trying desperately to stay out of the doghouse this year? I don’t blame you. The quarters are cramped and you can’t get the smell out for a week.

I’m not going to give you a list of things that you can buy to appease the Mother’s Day gods. The spirit of the holiday isn’t necessarily store bought. It’s a day of recognition and appreciation.

The most important thing to remember is she wants to know you appreciate that she gave you the most precious gift that can be given. Heads up, I’m not talking about a new set of golf clubs.

Before you tell your local florist, “Make it something pretty,” put yourself in your wife’s shoes for a minute (never mind the 2 inch heals). Think about all of the energy, love and sacrifice that go into motherhood. Everything from trying to conceive to watching her son take a bride has a deep, personal, emotional impact on her life.

No matter where the lady in your life is in her mothering journey, she’s going through a lot. She wants to feel that you recognize all she does to make your family and home happy and wonderful.

Show the mother of your children that there is no one in the world that you’d rather be riding this crazy rollercoaster with. The operative word in that sentence is “show”.

No one knows your wife like you do. Before you say, “I have no idea what she wants,” stop and reflect for a minute. You know more than you think you do.

You’ve been through everything together. You know if she likes the smell of fresh cut roses or if she has had her heart set on new patio furniture. Maybe there’s something “impractical” (like a manicure) that she stopped doing for herself when your baby joined the family. Take a moment to think about what she’s been telling you through both words, and actions.

If you remember something special that demonstrates you’ve been listening, you’ll blow her mind.

You love her. You chose to create a family with her. If you take the time to show her what she means to you and your family, Fido will be sleeping alone in the doghouse this Mother’s Day.

Jessi Arias-Cooper is the senior writer and an editor for Advice4Parenting.com. She is a work-from-home mother of 3 boys and has been married for 10 years. Jessi co-owns Profitable Prose, with her husband, Brock. If she had time for hobbies and interests outside of parenting and keeping house, they would be jewelry making, baking, watching bad B-movie horror flicks and creative writing.