I heard something on the radio the other day that made me chuckle at first, then really got me thinking. With Mother’s Day around the corner, this guy wanted to know whether he owed his wife a gift. The wife is pregnant with their first child. I shrugged, listening to the debate. Why not, right? Sure, she’s not caring for the child outside the womb, yet, but she sure has had to change her lifestyle in the last few months to make sure the baby’s cared for in the womb. That makes her a mom in my eyes. Not in this guy’s. And the more I listened, the more opinionated I became.
First of all, it’s a gift. Why place principles behind it? You look like a huge tool for arguing against an act of kindness toward the mother (or future mother, as this guy insisted) of your child. Second, let’s just look at the facts behind a pregnancy. Once the woman learns she’s with child, she waves goodbye to cocktails during girls’ nights out and glasses of wine after stressful days at work. She no longer indulges in sushi and sake date nights. Sayonara to aromatherapy and the pleasures of a hot tub and sauna.
All of a sudden, every ingredient intake gets scrutinized. Nausea settles in. Weight gain begins. Sleeping discomforts persist for months. Mood swings increase (is that even possible?) Doctor appointments replace lunch dates, and needle insertions become second nature. The list goes on and on. If that doesn’t place her in the running, she deserves a gift simply for enduring the pre-delivery process.
Those factors aside, guys, don’t you know anything about women by now? Because if this guy knows what’s good for him, he’ll make sure to hand her a nicely wrapped gift this Sunday, with a card and maybe even some flowers. For those guys who’ve ever forgotten a birthday or an anniversary, you know where this is headed. A hormonal, on edge, uncomfortable pregnant woman gets nothing on Mother’s Day? Get ready for decades of future Mother’s Day reminders of the major husband fail on that first Mother’s Day. Your parents, the in-laws, all your friends, and that precious child currently living inside of her will all know (and won’t let you forget, either), the time that you screwed this up. So, instead of sticking to your principles, give a little. You know, Father’s Day is just around the corner.