All mum wants is a cuddle and a card
(09/03/2010)

According to a survey by DotComGiftShop, forget chocolates and flowers on 14th March because all mums want on Mother’s Day is a good old-fashioned hug.

Over 200 mothers were asked what they would most like to receive from a list of traditional Mother’s Day gifts, and ‘a cuddle’ was the number-one choice for an incredible 52% per cent of the mums. The old staple of ‘chocolates’, however, didn’t receive a single first-choice vote.

Backing up the theory that mums appreciate the simple gestures on Mother’s Day, the second-most popular choice from the survey was ‘a card’, chosen by 26% of mums as their most wanted gift.

The next most popular choice, ‘a personally chosen unusual gift’, was wanted by 10% of mums, with ‘lots of attention’ being preferred by a similar amount 9%.

The traditional default Mother’s Day gift of ‘flowers’ finished some way down the list, preferred by just 2% of mums, slightly less popular than ‘breakfast in bed’ (3%).

In fact, flowers are far from the safe bet they are often thought to be – as part of the survey, mums were asked to name the worst Mother’s Day presents they had received and there was a distinctly floral theme to several of the entries, including ‘last minute flowers from corner shop and no card’, ‘petrol station flowers’ and, similarly, ‘garage forecourt flowers’.

Among the more obscure worst gifts were ‘a plastic bird feeder’, ‘a wheelbarrow’, a ‘a fluffy duster’ and ‘an old rusty bicycle’.

But one mother sums up the general feeling: “Being a mum I am very pleased to receive anything, especially a cuddle - the worst would be if they dared to forget!”

Here’s a full list of the first-choice gifts of the surveyed mums:
52% A cuddle
26% A card
10% A personally chosen unusual gift
9% Lots of attention
8% Weekend away
3% Breakfast in bed
3% Dinner in a restaurant
2% Home-made dinner
2% Flowers
0% Chocolates

For those wishing to consolidate their hugs with something more material, DotComGiftShop sells a wide range of Mother’s Day gifts online.