--- title: Mother's Day Gift Ideas: 7 Terrible Ones description: Searching for a last-minute gift for your mom? Here's what not to buy canonical: https://time.com/92622/mothers-day-gift-ideas/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-10T12:00:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:15.691Z og:title: Mother's Day Gift Ideas: 7 Terrible Ones og:description: Searching for a last-minute gift for your mom? 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=d01c1d25-7f43-4ac4-9af5-eecdf5f83ac3&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1)  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent May 10, 2014 12:00 PM UTC  Hispanic boy giving mother bouquet of roses Hispanic boy giving mother bouquet of roses Ariel Skelley—Getty Images/Blend Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent May 10, 2014 12:00 PM UTC Sunday is Mother’s Day and it’s not too late to buy mom a gift—but that means it’s also not too late to mess it up. Here’s what not to do. **Makeup and clothing** Unless you know your mom _really_ well, you’re probably going to screw this one up. Makeup has to be matched with things like skin tone and really isn’t something you can give as a gift. Sometimes it’s hard to judge people’s taste in clothing. And unless you’re getting her a scarf (which you’re not—it’s May), clothing can be particularly dangerous if you pick out anything too small or too big. **Something that’s really for you** Do not get your mom a book you want to read, a movie you want to see or tickets to a play, concert or show to which you’d like to go. That’s a gift for yourself, not for her. She’ll probably play along, but if she’s smart, she’ll drag you to something _she_ would rather see next year, and you’ll be stuck snoozing through an opera. **A pet** This probably falls under the something-for-you category. She doesn’t want another member of the family to clean and feed. **Anything that has to do with exercise or anti-aging** A gift that implies she needs to work out more or that reminds her she’s getting older is a bad idea. This rule is not limited to Mother’s Day. Do not ever buy anyone these things as a gift. **Cleaning supplies and kitchen appliances** Seems obvious that you shouldn’t give your mom a gift that says, “Happy Mother’s Day. Please clean up after my mess,” or “Please make me a sandwich.” However, I’m told that a colleague’s father once bought his wife a garbage can (albeit, a very pretty garbage can)… so maybe not so obvious. **Breakfast in bed made by children who can’t cook** A homemade breakfast by your small children _sounds_ cute, but it’s not going to taste good. Same goes for significant others who never do the cooking. You’re better off springing for brunch reservations. **A homemade card if you’re over the age of 10** It’s not cute anymore.\* _\*One exception: if you make your living as a designer or an artist or something else creative, and you spent more than 2 hours on the card._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/92622/mothers-day-gift-ideas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/92622/mothers-day-gift-ideas/"},"headline":"7 Terrible Mother's Day Gift Ideas","datePublished":"2014-05-10T12:00:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:15.691Z","description":"Searching for a last-minute gift for your mom? 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