Wine is not usually associated with Mothers Day, which we think is rather odd. Most moms we know like wine a lot.
This is Anne writing now:
Part of the problem is that Mothers Day is one of those times that we’re expected to buy into the stereotypes of what a mother is. We’re supposed to get into the warm, fuzzy persona of a woman who has time and love and cookies to give to everyone, was always there to wipe away the tear, kiss the boo-boo, then serve up a piping hot dinner of comfort food and sage advice.
And to a degree that is what good parents do, whether they’re women or men. Some of us had moms like the stereotype. Some of us had moms that were anything but. Most of us had moms somewhere in between, who probably felt just as inadequate and helpless as we who are currently active parents often feel.
The problem with buying into the stereotype is that most moms are not stereotypes. They’re flesh and blood individuals who like different things. I, for one, was a mom who kinda hated Mothers Day, not so much because I didn’t want to honor my mother. I was fine with that part. What I didn’t like was the cheesy craft my daughter would bring home from school every year. The one I had to ooh and ah over, knowing full well that even though she’d assembled it, it was with no thought of me. It was because that’s what her teacher wanted her to do.
Admittedly, I am not your typical mom. On Mothers Day, I get flowers and syrupy cards and stuff like that when what I really want is a 32 GB micro SD card for my tablet. Or an old Android phone to root and otherwise mess around with. You get the picture. You don’t want crayon drawings and a “World’s Greatest Mom” pendant from your spouse. You want a Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon with a jar of garlic-stuffed olives to munch on while drinking the wine. Seriously, guys, burn this one into your brain, your average mother does not want her husband/partner to buy her the “World’s Greatest Mom” pendant or coffee mug or whatever. She wants her kids to do that, not you. Got that?
What really makes anyone on the receiving end of a gift feel good is when the gift reflects that you thought about who that person is, apart from the standard role she (or he) happens to be playing. And too often on Mothers Day, we’re expected to toss all that aside and take Mom to the standard flowery, over-priced brunch, give her flowers and otherwise pretend that she’s like the Norman Rockwell version of Mom 1.0.
That is why you will not find recommendations for wine for your mother in this space. We don’t know your mom. We don’t know what she likes. Why would we tell you to buy her bubbly when it’s possible that sparkling wines upset her stomach? Or maybe what she really wants is some good artisanal beer?
Look, if you need a gift guide to tell you what to buy your mother, you don’t need a gift guide. You need to spend more time with your mom.
In the meantime, let us raise a glass to mothers everywhere – may you get something you really like this year for a change.