Flattery Will Get You Everywhere: 5 Ways to Compliment a Mom
Every mom should be made to feel as special as the Queen Mum (just don’t mention the wrinkles)
It’s a new year, and although you’ve probably already broken all of your resolutions, you can still redeem yourself — by complimenting a mom.
If you know a woman who’s a mom, whether she’s your mom, your wife, a friend, co-worker or acquaintance, chances are, she doesn’t hear enough how fabulous she is. Here’s your chance. (MadeMan.com recently posted on the best ways to compliment a woman, so try out these tips for the non-mom in your life.)
However, be warned that all compliments are not created equal (telling a mom how much character and charm her messy house contains, for instance, will likely not get you sent home with a plate of freshly baked brownies). Here are the 5 best ways to compliment a mom:
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Mention her body
Don’t ever mention a woman’s body. Ever.
However, there is one exception. Whether she’s due in a month, had the baby last week or a decade ago, it can never hurt to tell a mom how good she looks. Even if she doesn’t — because regardless of whether she just gave birth yesterday or last year, she’s been dealing with kids, and they suck up lots (if not all) of her time and are her priority over everything else (and knowing what counts is deserving of some sweet words, even if it's in a roundabout way). -
Praise her kids
It’s nice and all when a mom hears that her kid is good-looking, smart or funny — and chances are the kid was born that way (uh, particularly the former). But when kids are kind, chances are it’s a reflection on their parents. Tell a mom how impressed you are with the gentleness of her child and you will win a place in her heart indefinitely.
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Don't tell her she looks tired
You may think that telling someone she looks tired is benign. But when you’re sleep-deprived, the last thing you need is to be self-conscious about looking tired in addition to feeling utterly exhausted. Don’t mention her shirt is on inside out or that she only put makeup on one eye and not the other (unless it’s something she can actually fix as soon as you tell her) and you can count yourself among her real friends. Sometimes saying nothing is the biggest compliment of all.
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Tell her she rocks for doing it all . . .
Chances are she has felt like a failure at some point for trying to do it all and falling flat on her face. Something’s got to give. It just does. No mom is capable of caring for her kids, working, cooking, maintaining a home, nurturing a marriage, and (heaven forbid) trying to have some semblance of a life simultaneously and successfully. But the fact that she even tries and succeeds sometimes deserves massive props. Give them to her. Now.
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. . . But don't lay it on too thick
She is hardly the first mom to work hard to maintain her life and that of those around her. Other moms work hard, too. Some even work harder. She gets that she signed up for motherhood and it’s doubtful she thought it would be easy. Your compliment will be more meaningful if it’s specific and sincere rather than if you speak in superlatives.
Babble readers respond! Click here to read how other moms like (or would like) to be complimented!
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#2 does it for me. When people complement my kids for being well behaved, I feel like “damn, I must be doing something right!!”. It’s a good feeling.
#4!! RIGHT ON.
a girl wants to here from her from her husband that they love them and get surprsied gifts
Tell us how a man gets complimented…what do you say? “You’re golf handicap is really low. You must really be working hard at it!?”
Uh….lead-in said, ‘to say to a woman’, and the title of the article is , ‘to say to a mom’.
So all woman are mom’s?
My wife actually let her intellect win out over her hormones and is happily childless!!
(No surprise, all the studies prove childless couples are happier)
More false advertising to get you to read an article. Annoying.
Women in the us are spoiled need to love there men need to fend of the advances of other men know they are married and grow up they are pathictic and I’m married now 17 years not devorced
If he would just say little things like:
The house looks nice
I love coming home to you
Do you need help
Anything that simply acknowledges YOU!
It is the men that spoil the women (mostly), when treated with respect and love, they do reciprocate, men should trust their spouse to know they are married and not be so insecure. Make your wife your best friend and share the load in the household, do not try to dominate the relatioship! Married 22 years and happily spoiled (both of us) – it is not just women that get spoiled!!!
I’ve spoiled for forty-two years and due to extreme work conditions coupled with serious health issues (all mine) I am not able to spoil as I once did. I get no slack though, in a time when I need some consideration. LOVE is over used and overrated, at least in my situation. Every couple is different. All I ever hear from family and friends that I talked with me respond “well you made her that way” Oh well! Its all my fault. LOL What can I say I’m just another man.
My wife “seems” be content with knowing she is still loved. I come home after work (she gets home before I), and I just say “hi, honey”, give her a kiss and tell her I love her. Things are good from there………….and after 30 years!
“it can never hurt to tell a mom how good she looks. Even if she doesn’t”
are you seriously advocating lying? Really? Do you think all women are stupid enough to not know an insincere comment when they hear one? Sure, go ahead, lie – and then wonder why she never accepts ANY of your compliments and acts like she can’t trust you…
Gurgleax–exactly…bullshit…I AM A WOMAN and luckily am NOT a martyr (I mean a mother)
I am not marrried nor have i ever been but I had a boyfriend for 13 years and we had the best love makeing sesions in the world he died 5 years ago since then I have met my boyfriend and we hardly ever make love and i am at my peek to were he is not i have never met a man that I could get all dressed up for and it dosent even fase him.
Am I doing something wrong cause I really love him and dont know what else to do
I’m not married, but I’ve been in steady relationships. I don’t hand out compliments willy-nilly. I will only compliment if I’m really impressed. My gf appreciates this. She doesn’t want to feel over-ingratiated, b/c it makes it feel hollow; like she really hasn’t earned it. Guys, through-out history, have layered on way too much compliment to women simply to get in their pants. They need to quit it unless it’s really deserved, b/c a woman that’s not really doing anything special starts to get an ego that she’s amazing, and a woman that’s truly amazing isn’t getting the respect she deserves, b/c all these other non-spectacular women are getting praised for far less. I very rarely compliment my girlfriend. But when I do, she is beaming with pride. She very rarely compliments me, too. But, as they guy, I don’t expect her to. If I need to have my ego stroked, then I’m not truly a man. A man needs to be confident in his abiity, and humble in his execution of it. Normally, the best compliments she gets are from her friends, when they say they’re jealous of how she landed me as a great guy, or how handy I am, or how helpful I am. But, she is a bright girl, and a good girl. She impresses me beyond words sometimes, and I do let her know that I’m impressed. I try not to let it go to her head, but I do let her know. And she’s walking on cloud 9 for a day or two after wards. A man should show his appreciation, not say it.
Holy cow. There isn’t one comment here without misspellings, grammatical errors, or just plain poor articulation.