I bought my wife a new lawn mower for Mother’s Day. I took a little flack for it on Facebook, in much the same way I took heat for buying her a vacuum cleaner a few years earlier.
First some clarification:
Mother’s Day is not a “gift day” in our house. I will do simple nice gestures like making breakfast in bed, cleaning up with the boys, getting a card, and some flowers. That’s what the day is about, not “the gift.”
When I got Jen the new vacuum, it was something she very much wanted. We had just moved in to our first house and she coveted a Dyson. So I got it for her and the surprise was greeted with claps and joy.
Same thing happened this year. Mother’s Day was the usual routine of soft niceties, but it also included a lawn mower. I’m not allowed to cut the grass at our house. Growing up, cutting the lawn was Jen’s “job” as assigned by her father. She’s meticulous about it, and complains if I cut the grass “wrong.”She’s been frustrated by our old generic Canadian Tire mower for a while now. While we like the electric mower, the thing was starting to run down and Jen found moving the long extension cord all around the yard to be a pain. Since last summer we have been looking for new mowers, and recently discovered the rechargeable models from Ryobi. It’s all the environmental friendliness of the electric mower that we like with none of the messy extension cord chasing.
The Ryobi 40V mower is compact, lightweight, and Jen was thrilled when she came down the stairs on Mother’s Day morning and saw it in the hall.
The boys were actually excited to see it too. Zacharie has been chomping at the bit to start learning to cut the grass, in the meantime it was another big box they could play in.
Yes, guys it’s possible to buy your wife household appliances as gifts and live to tell about it. You just have to a) know your wife b) acknowledge the need c) get something they really want.
Up next on the gift giving parade for my wife is a new set of golf clubs. The stereotype shattering continues! Jen’s had the same set of clubs for nearly 20 years. She’s been wanting a new set for a while, especially one with a variety of metals for her to use.
This year we celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. The traditional 6th anniversary wedding gift is iron, the modern gift is wood.
Sounds like golf clubs to me.
Our wedding anniversary isnt until July 4, but Jen will be getting these clubs a little earlier so she can take them out for Ladies’ Nights with some girlfriends.
Am I the #BestHusbandEver? Well I did buy my wife a vacuum, a lawn mower, and golf clubs as gifts and lived to brag about it. So I’m getting there.

Dad. Broadcaster. Writer.
Three time Guinness World Record Holder.
I run the world for Team Diabetes.
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