What Women Want - Heart-Felt Ideas for Mother's Day

Some of us women are armed and ready to be disappointed on Mother's Day, with a smile on our face. Why? Well, because of stories like this: A friend relayed to me that one year, at 10 am, two hours after she had gotten up and eaten cereal, her now ex-husband finally got out of bed, roused the kids, and made breakfast in bed for her. She got back into bed and ate the food, even though she was not hungry.

Her husband meant well and he also put his desire to sleep in above his desire to treat her. He put himself first. Lovely man? Yes. Effort? Very poorly timed. He took action only when it was convenient for him. Result? Very sad wife.

We don't care about the outcome. It's the effort, coming from your heart, and putting our needs and desires ahead of yours, that counts. Why does the "ahead of yours" part matter? Because for women, we feel like we put our husband's and our children's needs before ours throughout our lives. The reciprocation is a huge sign of your love and appreciation.

Many of you men out there already knock it out of the ballpark on Mother's Day. You go the extra mile, take us out to our favorite restaurant the Friday before the Sunday, clean the bathroom, complete a few things on the "honey do" list, and generally show your appreciation. You bring us flowers and rub our shoulders. We love that! It makes us adore you even more.

Here are a few things you could do this Sunday to show your wife how much you love and appreciate her. They will make her heart melt.

• Buy a bouquet of flowers with her favorite flower as the main focus. Does she love tulips? You can buy a dozen. And don't stop there! Add a hand-written note describing how you first fell in love with her and what a great mom she is.
• Find an old photo album and pull out photos of when each child was born. Tape them to the frig with a hand-written note of your favorite memories from each experience. 
• Put a hand-written note on her pillow on Saturday night saying how much she means to you as the mother of your children.
• Put all the dishes away, start some laundry, take out the garbage, and then take her to a movie that she'd enjoy. Write a nice note to her and right before you get out of the car to go into the theater, hand her the note.
• Post a photo on Facebook of your wife with the kids (if she doesn't mind that) and tell the world what a great mom she is.
• If you and your wife no longer have kids in the home, offer to pay for this Strong Woman's Retreat at the North Point Lighthouse. I'm helping to lead women through two really cool activities. http://northpointlighthouse.org/images/Georgia-Circle-flyer2.jpg

And to involve the kids:

• If you have small children, help them make up an "I love Mom" song with new words to the tune of a favorite song they already know. They will love doing it.
• If you have tween children, have them each pick a chore they will do daily for the next week. Present your wife with an "All Hands on Deck" card listing the chores that will be performed.
• If you have teenagers, well... good luck! Truly, the best thing is to ask them what they would like to offer. Let them take the lead.

Enjoy showing your love on Sunday. She will be thrilled.