What Your Mother Should've Told You and Nobody Else Will by Natalie Reilly

Author:Natalie Reilly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
ISBN: 9781742696447
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2012-04-24T00:00:00+00:00

How to choose a last-minute gift for your dad or your mum

We all know that, as adults, presenting our mothers with a shoebox diorama full of misshapen macaroni or our fathers with a golf ball is no longer acceptable. But there are plenty of grown-up versions of the diorama/golf ball, including the guest soap and the photo frame.

I’m not suggesting you fork out loads of cash (although perfume or fancy cologne never hurts), just be sure that the gift you choose for the person who gave you life shows at least a little bit of thought.

First, identify your parent’s style. I’m not talking about whether Mum’s an ‘autumn’ or a ‘spring’ on her seasonal colour chart; I’m only suggesting that you refrain from giving her the memoirs of Shane Warne – unless she also happens to be a fan of prolific spin bowlers with colourful personal lives, in which case, howzat?!

Similarly, buying Dad War and Peace may not be the way forward if the only book he’s picked up in a year is Harry Potter.

You may gift with a voucher but only if your parent knows you work 18-hour days or have a newborn otherwise, there is really no excuse for such an impersonal gift – unless it was a specific request. On that, it’s fine to go sans gift if you have a pre-existing understanding with them.

For mothers and fathers who fancy themselves food connoisseurs, there is always the booking at a fancy restaurant. For television connoisseurs, you might try a DVD box set of a favourite series. If you’re stumped, flowers always go over well – just don’t pick them up, still dripping, out of a bin at the servo on the way to their house.

But if you’ve left it too late for any of these options you can go the tried and tested booze route. Highbrow parent? Red wine. Earthy parent? Slab of beer. High-flying parent? Scotch. Refined parent? Rosé or champagne. Oh, I could go on all day. Non-drinking parent? Then it’s all about chocolates – fancy ones, mind you – or, in the case of my dear parents, a box of Cadbury Roses.

Just remember, any parent who tells their adult children that ‘it’s the thought that counts’ is lying. They may even be lying to themselves, probably because it’s been so long since they thought about their own needs. So invoke the spirit of Warnie and go hard or go home.

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