Hey, all you moms and wives out there— what are the kinds of presents you usually get from your husbands on Mother’s Day? Flowers? Chocolates? A sweet card or jewelry? Maybe your children’s handprints in clay? There are lots of great ideas out there we all love, but it’s time to talk about what moms really want for their titular day: a little empathy and understanding.

OK, yes, we’ll always take brunch or a handmade card, too, but we have a feeling thoughtful gifts would be more creative and individual if dads had a better sense of what motherhood is really like. And what better place to start with that course of understanding than the place it all begins: the delivery room.

Yes, we’re talking about the experience of pregnancy and labor! After all, is there any bodily experience that compares to literally pushing another human being out of your body, after also carrying that human around inside you for nine months?

The answer is no. No there is not.

But thanks to new developments in science and technology, we can get close to stimulating it, allowing dads to feel what they’ve only ever witnessed. And that’s exactly what Penn Holderness decided to do for his wife Kim on Mother’s Day.

If you’re familiar with The Holderness Family and their delightful viral videos, you know that they’re always up for hilariously eye-opening experiences like this one. Having Penn experience “labor” – and all the awkward minutia of the long, long process of delivery – was actually the brainchild of Kim, who couldn’t think of anything she wanted more for Mother’s Day than having her hubby better understand what she went through to bring their children into the world. So she bought a little machine, and off to the doctor they went.

Penn was absolutely a good sport about the whole ordeal – we suspect he wanted to one up all the other husbands out there! – and was more than ready to show his love and appreciation for his wife and mother of his children by quite literally putting himself in her shoes for a day. But then, by the end of the video, he understand why moms often yell at their husbands during delivery— and Kim’s apologizing through her laughter.

Did we mention that the simulation works by contracting the rectus muscles? Yeah . . . Poor Penn!

To see how he handles the situation, and to see how Kim enjoys her “present,” check out the Holderness Family’s video below!

We loved the first comment from The Holderness Family on YouTube under their video:

“Dear Penn, how dare you.  I hate you.  Why did you put this out there? Sincerely, Every Man in America.”

What do you think? Should all fathers should have to experience this to truly understand what mothers go through? What do you think of the suggestion that it be used as a deterrent against teenage and/or other unwanted pregnancies? What would an equivalent for women looking to empathize with fathers be, if anything? Have any of YOU ever tried this experiment? Share with us in the comments!