Mother's Day 2012: 13 Moms Tell You What They Really Want (Don't Mess Up!)

Mother's Day is this Sunday and finding that perfect gift for your Mom is not an easy task. Flowers? A poem? A special meal? If you are still wracking your brain about what to get your Mom, we asked 13 moms for a little advice on what they'd actually like to receive this year. Their answers might surprise you.  

1) Alex (son, 1 yr. old): "The only thing I want for Mother's Day is the acknowledgment that I'm doing the best that I can with what I have.”

2) Anonymous Mom (son, 12 yrs. old; daughter 9 yrs. old; daughter 7 yrs. old): "I have so far been blessed with lovely Mother's Days. I get to do (sleep, think, read, etc.) and not do (cook, pick up, organize the day) whatever I want. My husband is a generous gift giver and gets the kids invoved in that, and I often get "breakfast in bed" (which is really closer to brunch or lunch in bed by the time my husband and kids find what they need in the kitchen and figure out how to make it). Best of all, I can be as annoying, lazy, and irritating as possible (not on purpose, of course) yet it's still the "Mom can do no wrong" day!”

3) Chus (son, 33 yrs. old; son, 29 yrs. old; daughter, 25 yrs. old): "A clean, organized house.”

4) Sheryl (son, 45 yrs. old; daughter, 34 yrs. old) "I would like to have my children, my daughter-in-law, and my grandchildren all together with me and my husband in one place for a few days.”

5) Edna (daughter, 28 yrs. old; daughter, 25 yrs. old; daughter, 19 yrs. old): "No asking me what I want; no work for me on that day e.g., no walking the dog, no making breakfast or lunch, or dinner, no driving to church, no paying for anything, no answering questions like 'what do you want to do' ... just call me "no mother" for the day!”

6) Terry (son, 24 yrs. old; daughter 17 yrs. old; son, 15 yrs. old): "A few minutes of peace.”

7) Crystal (daughter, 11 yrs. old; daughter, 8 yrs. old; daughter, 6 yrs. old): "This Mom likes to sleep late with no worry of cooking breakfast, or cleaning up early morning spills. And absolutely no purchased gifts. Frugality is a must! I enjoy breakfast in bed cooked by my husband and children ... All while being kept company by the lovely chefs.”

8) Liliana (son, 4 yrs. old; son, 4 yrs old; daughter, 2 yrs old): "I actually want one of those fancy mixers to bake cakes. Stereotype, and so not me!”

9) Anonymous Mother (son, 8 yrs. old; son, 3 yrs old): "No surprises. No traveling. No plans.”

10) Claudia (son, 23 yrs. old): "I'd like for my son to actually pick up the phone and wish me a Happy Mother's Day instead of sending a text. If I can't get that, I'd actually like for him to answer my call (instead of pressing the "ignore" button) when I phone him to remind him that it's Mother's Day.”

11) Maggie (daughter, 24 yrs. old): "When I was a child every Mother's Day the ladies in our small town would wear roses; red rose if your mother was living, white rose if your mother was not alive. As a mother and a daughter, I would like to continue the tradition of wearing a red rose and have my daughter carry on the tradition of wearing a rose as well.”

12) Pam (daughter, 17 yrs. old; daughter, 15 yrs. old; son, 14 yrs. old): "Church; brunch; a walk alongside the river. The four of us spending time together happens less and less often – but I am thankful that we still want to spend time together. I cherish these moments together and realize that all too soon my “baby birds” will be out of my nest creating their own.”

13) Jeni (daughter, 2 yrs. old): "I'm a relatively new mom, my daughter Kai, turned two recently. There's nothing like having a child that questions your abilities, even after two years it still new territory. I'm far from a perfect mom, I make plenty of mistakes, so for Mother's Day, I've love to just be acknowledged, that "Hey, you're doing a good job." And being pampered, because, who doesn't like that?”