“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them”
– Victor Hugo
Sunday, the second Sunday of May, has been set aside as Mother’s Day. Kids all over the world will try to do whatever they can to make their mothers feel special. Some will give their mother flowers or cards. Some might even prepare a home-cooked meal, or take their moms out for dinner.
When Mother’s Day became a recognized holiday in the US in 1914, it quickly spread to the rest of the world. And just as quickly, by the 1920s, it had become as commercialized as any other holiday. Say “Hip! Hip! Hooray for commodification of even being thankful for mother’s love!! The world soon plunged into the Great Depression, and mothers really had to become mothers!
But why should you only honour your mother on the second Sunday of May? It’s just a date chosen arbitrarily. It could’ve been any other date; or, better yet, it doesn’t just have to be one date. Why can’t people show their love for their mothers every day? Or rather, why don’t they? Your mother should be important enough to you that you would have no problem with showing her that you love her every day; whether you want to show your love by just saying ‘I love you’ or by showering her with gifts, it’s your prerogative. Be spontaneous — show your love every day in all of the little ways that count much, much more.
Let’s hear it for those wonderful women who had to put up with our wailing in the middle of the night as babies, our whining about going to school, our teenage angst, and everything else. The women who, all too often, are our shoulders to cry on, the persons we share our hopes and fears with, the persons who worry about us more than we ever worry about ourselves.
And when we become mothers, we often pattern our behaviours after our own mothers. And my mom has certainly set the bar pretty high: ten years from now, I’ll have some big shoes to fill. But the good thing is that your mom would be there to help you get through your own journey through motherhood. She’ll teach you how to hold your newborn child, and of course she’ll spoil your kids rotten, so they’re always more excited to see their grandmother than you.
And this Mother’s Day isn’t just limited to celebrating your biological mother. It’s a time to honour all of those great women who were mothers to you, who at some point treated you like you were their own child.
And even though you should be showing your love every day, it IS a nice gesture to go that extra mile on Mother’s Day.
Happy (early) Mothers’ Day!