Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, or better yet, random acts of kindness...give gifts to a single mother that she'll really appreciate. How will you know what she'll appreciate? You're either a single mother yourself, you asked one what she could really use, or you read this article. A little bit of knowledge in this area goes a long way.

Here's what not to do. Don't purchase that pretty scarf or an expensive bottle of perfume for her unless she specifically has made it known that's what she really wants. You may think it will be greatly appreciated because she likely wouldn't or couldn't afford to buy it for herself. Wrong. That's usually not that case. She'll be very gracious to your face and probably genuinely appreciate the thought. But she may be thinking "couldn't she have just given me the money so I could get my brakes fixed" or "yeesch, I could pay my electric bill with the money she spent on this!"

Seriously, what many single mothers need is relief. They need a small slice of life taken off their shoulders. They need someone to take their children for three hours so they can have an uninterrupted bath or a nap.

What would bring a single mother great joy is to have you contact any of the utility companies and pay a month's bill. She'd love car wash coupons because that may be something frivolous to her, but who doesn't appreciate a nice clean car. "Let's see, do I get eggs and milk, or do I drive my car through the car wash?" Or just show up someday with a hose and a bucket and wash it for her - inside and out. Make up babysitting coupons or better yet, just insist on picking up the kids Friday night to take them to a dinner and a movie. Give Mom some space.

You'll find a common theme in many single mothers. They don't necessarily need help and wouldn't ask for it, but if they received help, it would mean the WORLD to her. Instead of thinking of things that are special and pretty for her, consider what would make her life easier. This isn't like the old adage you don't buy your wife a frying pan for her birthday. With single parents, moms in particular, you need to keep in mind relief. How can you give this woman a small nugget of relief to make her life easier?

These are the types of gifts single mothers appreciate!