Push Presents...WHAT?!

Courtesy Neil Lane, Inset: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

OK - I am sure that we have all seen the A-MA-ZING Neil Lane Platinum and Diamond Ring that Rachel Zoe's hubby gave to the Fashion Stylist to the Stars as a "Push Present".


People Magazine reports that:


 Zoe’s “push present” was a nearly 10 carat cushion-cut diamond ring designed by jeweler Neil Lane.

“Rodger wanted to surprise Rachel with something romantic — and huge,” says Lane of the sparkler, adorned with smaller diamonds in a platinum setting. “I knew she’s wanted a cushion cut forever. It was their first baby and she’s been working so hard that Rodger wanted to do something very special. Rachel was thrilled and hasn’t taken it off since!”

Click here for the complete article 

I don't know about you but I am pretty sure that my mother didn't get a Push Present - so I started wondering where did this custom come from?

Jewelers looking to make more sales?

Mother's who wanted a new reason for gorgeous things?

So - I went to Wikipedia!  ...and got a surprise!

Defined as: A push present is a present a new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room. The giving of push presents has supposedly grown in the United States in recent years.

The History of the Push Present:

"The tradition of gift-giving to commemorate a birth has long roots in England and India. The term "push present" first appeared in a publication in 1992.  In 2005, the Southeast-United States jewelry chain Mayors marketed diamond earrings with the line "She delivered your first born, now give her twins." Fortunoff, a jewelry and gift chain store, established a push present registry in 2007.

There is, however, no conclusive evidence that the present was invented by the jewelry industry to sell more goods, and until recently it was passed on largely by word of mouth or peer pressure among both mothers and fathers.  According to Linda Murray, the executive editor of BabyCenter.com, "It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body. The guilt really gets piled on."Other sources trace the development of the present to the increased assertiveness of women, allowing them to ask for a present more directly, or the increased involvement of the men in pregnancy, making them more informed of the pain and difficulties of pregnancy and labor."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_present

So - what do you think to Push (present) or not to Push (present)?  that is your question...