I was listening to an interview of a female author who is married to a mega-church pastor and they were talking about the majority of Millennial's wanting "affirmations over flowers" for Mother's Day. They say that to know their children and their significant others recognize their hard work and will give them words of encouragement is a better gift than flowers, gift cards, or chocolates.
I think this goes without saying, and you don't have to be a Gen-X, Gen-Y, Gen-Z, Baby-Boomer, or Millennial to know the truth of this statement. EVERY MOM wants to hear they are doing a good job from the people who mean the most to them.
When my daughter was dating her husband, I believe the day she fell in love with him was the day he gave her a floral affirmation gift. He works with metals (Blacksmith) and he hand-made a long stem rose out of a lead compound. On each of the leaves of the rose, he wrote attributes of inner beauty and strength. To this day, she appreciates when he gives her words of praise and admiration.
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
Proverbs 31:10
This cartoon may be "funny," but somewhere under the shoeless, exhausted example of a worn out mother is a woman of high character working her fingers to the bone for her family. The pop-stickle stick in her hair speaks volumes to the lack of care and concern she has for herself. She gives everything she has to her family and drops into her bed at the end of the day in pure exhaustion. Husbands, if you don't like seeing your wife this way...DO SOMETHING! Lift a laundry basket, or cook a meal once in a while. Don't remind her how she looks! Go make her a bubble bath and watch the kids for an hour so she can let Calgone take her away. Don't bring her flowers or chocolates. Take her by the hands, look her in the eyes and TELL HER that she's a woman of character. Her inner beauty and strength is what you admire about her. Give her some encouragement, a hug, and a foot rub. Then hold her and let her fall asleep in your arms.
Tomorrow she'll thank you for it when she wakes up after a peaceful night--just before the children scream her name...MMMMMMOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!
Happy Mother's Day to all the hard working moms!