We're calling it: This is the worst Mother's Day present ever.

The worst Mother’s Day gift I’ve ever received was given to me by my husband. It really surprised me because even strangers in the street know enough about me, from just a glance (I’m always carrying a book or two) to figure out that my perfect gift is a great book.

It’s my own fault really.

Last Mother’s Day, I kicked up a stink over the fact that every other woman in my family receives a gift from their partner on Mother’s Day, to say, “Thank you for our children”. It’s the reason I give him a Father’s Day gift every year. It doesn’t have to be expensive or anything, just flowers or chocolates.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Bookworld. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100 per cent authentic and written in their own words.

So, last May Henry dragged himself up to the shops to purchase a Mother’s Day gift for me for the first time in nine years. Now, this man hates shopping. He doesn’t enjoy anything about it and he spends as little time as possible doing it. My expectations weren’t high.

I decided I’d love whatever he selected for me, even if it was incredibly lame. Sometimes lame is really cute (think Instant Scratchy, mint chocolate, a calendar to hang on the wall with funny jokes or inspirational quotes).

My children shop for my gifts at school. They attend a great little school and the mums set up a stall each year for the kids to shop for their mums. I get the best gifts from them. Philip knows I love coffee so each year I look forward to a new coffee mug, and every day when I make my coffee I feel loved.

It helps that it’s normally filled with little chocolates and wrapped beautifully. Giovanni and Caterina usually make something for me at preschool like their hand prints in clay, a special card, a drawing of me. Precious, each and every one of them and their gifts would more than make up for the ‘whatever was purchased for me by their father’ crappy gift.

Oh gosh, I didn’t really have much hope that I’d love it if this was my thought process.

On Mother’s Day morning, after I had finished making breakfast for everyone (no breakfast in bed for me), Henry nervously sat me down and handed me a small package.

I tore open the paper and revealed…a DVD. It wasn’t one of my favourite movies, nor was it a compilation of footage we’d filmed of the kids over the previous 12 months, it was a documentary about a boy who was abandoned by his family in war-torn somewhere or other and struggled to create a life for himself. His sad and despondent face stared back at me as if to say, “You’re the one who wanted a present from me.”

I tried to pretend to like it, I really did. I smiled, said thank you, said it looked really interesting and then discreetly shook it to see if the Instant Scratchy had been hidden in the card or in the cover, or maybe a Mint Pattie chocolate had been slipped in there somehow.

Every day from then on he’d ask if I had watched it and what I thought of it, but I couldn’t even bring myself to try to watch it. I just wasn’t in the mood to be sad. I wanted something light, something funny and something that wouldn’t make me horrifically sad.

Eventually I had to admit that I didn’t like it. He was so upset. I suggested next time he just look at the little things I buy myself. Flowers for the dining table, chocolate I don’t have to share with the kids, a facial or a book. I buy books by the truckload but none are sad stories. They are all chick lit, inspiring, uplifting, funny and heart-warming.

Easy, right?

“But it looked so interesting,” he said of the now discarded DVD.

“It looked interesting to you,” I corrected him.

So, as Mother’s Day approaches, I can only hope that this time he’s had a glance at my most recent purchases. I am reading the Sue Grafton alphabet series at the moment. I bought the latest Diane Keaton memoir. There are lots of books by Michael Pollen and Sarah Wilson on my side table at the moment. Chick lit always works. Mint chocolate of any time. Brightly coloured flowers.

Easy, right?

We’ll see.

What’s the worst Mother’s Day present you’ve ever received?

Bookworld is running a competition to get mums to nominate which book they would like to receive this Mother’s Day. Every entry will receive a 20 per cent voucher code on Mother’s Day to use on any book at Bookworld to treat themselves. Plus, every day of the competition, one entry will be chosen to receive the book they have nominated for free. ENTER HERE!

We may be biased but here at Bookworld we believe there’s no better present than a carefully selected book chosen just for you. Not only is it a thoughtful gift but it also brings with it some precious hours of guaranteed quiet time!

Bookworld makes it easy for you to find something special for your mum with our Mother’s Day Gift Guide – you can see favourites from our experts, or get inspired with the very best for cooking mums, biography lovers, stylish mums and of course plenty of great novels.

With over 13 million books, we guarantee we have something for the pickiest of mothers! Plus we deliver your order absolutely free.