Best Valentine's Gift?!

Mom’s #1 request this Valentine’s Day?

TIME FOR MYSELF.

MomJunction.com surveyed mothers across the country about what they really think about the Holiday of Hearts. The answers might surprise you.

New York (February 10, 2007) – Hey Dads: Don’t rush off to the florist or Chocolate Shop so fast this Valentine’s Day. Turns out that moms across the country actually just want 24 hours to relax.

In an exclusive survey conducted by MomJunction.com, the premiere online resource for moms to find and share information, 51 percent of moms said that for Valentine’s Day this year, they would gladly forgo flowers, chocolate, and jewelry in exchange for 24 hours to simply do nothing. No kids, no husband, no car pool, no cooking. Just serenity.

And some more info for eager-to-impress fathers: Over 85 percent of moms surveyed said that they’d prefer a small romantic gesture on a random night of the year over any kind of gift strictly on Valentine’s Day. So think twice before hiring the private chef this Wednesday.

“We all know that being a mom is the hardest job in the world, so we expected some answers to be of the ‘I wanna sleep’ variety. But we were shocked at how many, especially given the other possible choices in our survey, which included spa treatments, a romantic night with your special someone, and of course, flowers and candy,” said Rory Murray, Senior Vice President of Mom Relations at MomJunction.

Only 14 percent of moms preferred flowers on Valentine’s Day this year, as opposed to 86 percent wanting them on some random day. As one mom put it, “I’d prefer a bouquet of ’Because it’s Tuesday‘ flowers, as opposed to ‘Oh, I had to get you these because the greeting card company said I did.’”

70 percent of moms thought every day gestures are more meaningful than momentous Valentine’s celebrations, with many expressing their wish that dads would be less forgetful about saying “I love you,” or showing it outside of Valentine’s Day.

When given the power to “stop time,” and get a free day, “sleeping,” “reading,” “relaxing,” and “spa treatments,” were the top four choices. Only 19 percent of moms would choose to spend their free day with family.

The survey was conducted by MomJunction, Inc. and includes responses from over 300 moms across the country.

Hmmm interesting. I have to say that the idea of 24 hours by myself is very very appealing to me. To sleep without interruption, get up at my leisure, watch the morning news, surf the internet, read the paper, go to the bathroom alone, knit, take a walk, pray, watch the evening news, take a long hot bath, curl up on the couch with a chick flick and a glass of wine...it all sounds so great. I could never appreciate when I was single the quietness and solitude of that stage of life. It felt intimidating then and scary. But now that I am married and a mama I long (just a little bit) for some solitude. I would say that 90% of the time I love the noise of my life...it feels alive and abundant and I cherish that. But there are moments when I recall that commercial from my youth and yearn for CALGON to take me away!

All that makes me is human I guess. I think sometimes, as mamas (and especially ones who have made motherhood a career), it feels a little like failure to admit we want/need time away from it all. Take heart, even the moms who don't admit it still want it...they are just too afraid to say it. So honey, if you're reading, forget the flowers and cards, send me to the nearest Hilton for a night!!!