The perfect daughter speaks to her mum every day, shares a love of soap operas and gets on well with all her mum's friends, a new survey has found. Researchers revealed she will also take her dear old mum out for a girly lunch once a week and will always be available in an emergency.
The perfect daughter is also most likely to muck-in with the cooking and cleaning on family occasions, be brutally honest on shopping trips and lend her mum clothes, accessories and make-up.
And crucially the ideal daughter will let her mum take over wedding preparations when the big day comes around, the poll by GettingPersonal.co.uk found.
She will also pop in every other day, water the plants when mum goes on holiday and look after the dog.
The study was carried out among 1,000 mothers and 1,000 adult daughters to gauge the perfect mother-daughter relationship.
It also emerged seven in ten mums would describe their relationship with their daughter as ‘perfect’ already - and said as long as their daughter led a good life they would be happy.
A spokeswoman for personalised gift website Gettingpersonal.co.uk, who commissioned the survey, said:
"Of course there is a special female bond that a mum has with a daughter, and this research shows that sharing common interests will help that bond.
"It’s heart-warming to know that all mums really want is for their daughter to lead a happy life.
"As women leave home, get more involved with their careers and have their own families, it becomes more essential to make time to keep mum in the loop.
"This research shows that it’s the little things that daughters do that make a difference."
The poll also found confiding in mum about her problems and recommending beauty products she’s been using were also traits that mums appreciate in a daughter.
The survey also revealed the perfect day for a mother and a daughter to spend together would involve going to a spa or shopping, having tea and cake together, then going out for dinner and a West End show.
And in terms of her daughter’s ‘big day’, one in five mums insisted on being instrumental in the organisation of her wedding day.
Though the results could paint mothers as a demanding bunch, they were also shown to be grateful, as 85% stated they were happy with the effort their daughter makes for them.
Half of mums said that their daughters were much better at keeping in touch than their sons, with many saying they rarely hear from their male offspring.
Girls are also much more likely to remember important family dates and events like birthdays and anniversaries, the poll found.
Two-thirds of females admitted that their brothers always struggled to buy their mum thoughtful presents.
So it’s no surprise that 47% of mums confessed that their daughters put more thought into birthday gifts than their sons, who will usually opt for chocolate and flowers, or shamefully, nothing at all.
Despite this, the poll still found that half of daughters thought they could do more for their dear old mum.
According to the research, most women see their mum once a week, talk on the phone three times a week and text their mum every other day.
But two thirds of mums said they would love to go on holiday with their daughter, with a staggering 88% admitting they would ideally have a girly weekend way together every year.
The spokeswoman from GettingPersonal.co.uk added:
"The research is evidence that though mums would love more quality time with their daughters, just sending a text or a thoughtful note counts for a lot.
"Just asking how they are and showing an interest can ensure you stay friends as well as family members.
"We’ve found mums can be the trickiest people to buy a nice gift for, but often it’s daughters rather than sons who will try extra hard to find the right present.
"Just being thoughtful when gift-buying for mum rather than going for standard chocolate and wine can be a nice way of showing you’re not only thinking of her, but you know her as well."
30 THINGS THAT MAKE THE PERFECT DAUGHTER - ACCORDING TO MUMS
1. Happy to confide in mum
2. Is honest on shopping trips
3. Calls regularly
4. Always available in a crisis/emergency
5. Goes on girly day trips/weekend breaks
6. Sends daily text updates
7. Mucks in with family dinners
8. Waters the plants whilst on holidays
9. Looks after the dog/cat/pets whilst on holidays
10. Offers mum's frequent lifts
11. Is always on hand for a cup of tea
12. Lets mum get involved in wedding plans
13. Watches the same soaps
14. Help mum pick clothes
15. Surprises mum with unexpected gifts
16. Sends funny things via Facebook
17. Takes mum for girly lunches
18. Writes thoughtful notes / cards
19. Chats about TV shows they both enjoy
20. Has a day that she always visits, i.e. every Sunday
21. Gets on with mum's friends
22. Helps with the housework when she visits
23. Takes flowers for the house
24. Recommends toiletries/products
25. Join mum and her friends on days out
26. Sends cute cards for no reason
27. Makes / buys personal gifts
28. Frequently invites mum around for meals
29. Lends mum clothes and accessories
30. Let's mum use her make-up
