May 9, 2021 – The 107th Mother’s Day ~
Have there OFFICIALLY been 107 Mother’s Days? There is some controversy over this date. This, of course, led to some research on my part. According to our history, 1914 is the the year that President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May to be a national holiday to honor mothers. So I consider this fact to NOT be a Mother’s Day controversy…what do you think?
Other days celebrating “mothers” have been recognized before this. Ann Reeves Jarvis organized Mothers’ Friendship Day to foster reconciliation between families of the North and the South after the Civil War. She cared for wounded soldiers on both sides during the war and felt strongly about bringing peace to all involved. The first Mothers’ Friendship Day was held in 1865 and became an annual event for several years after that. In fact, this is what inspired what we now know as Mother’s Day.
Sooo….Mother’s Day became a national holiday in 1914 BUT people realized long before then that mother’s deserved some respect…AM I RIGHT???
Hold up…did you catch the typos in the earlier paragraph???
Are you finding yourself stating, “Mimi needs to correct her grammar.” Did you notice that darn apostrophe is in the wrong place…not once but TWICE in the opening paragraphs? Well, it is indeed correct just how it is! For all of you grammar nerds like me…Sorry! In fact, this is what has become yet another Mother’s Day controversy. Crazy right? When the friendship days were first created, they were more of a celebration for soldiers and their moms in an effort to instill peace. Therefore, it was not a day honoring individual moms, but instead moms as a whole with their sons.
I am actually sitting here stunned right now that in my mid 50’s I am just hearing of all of this. I recently started researching Mother’s Day controversy stemming from posts I have seen on social media over the last few years. None of which had anything to do with:
- Who actually created Mother’s Day?
- Where does that crazy apostrophe belong?
- What is the right way to celebrate this wonderful holiday?
- Is Mother’s Day too commercialized?
Personally, I have always found the biggest controversy to be finding how to share time with my mother, mother-in-law and my kids (obviously as their mother) all in the same day. When I was a kid, we all lived so close to most of our family members making this process much easier.
The Move From Singular Possessive to Plural Possessive ~
The big move of that devilish apostrophe from Mothers’ Day to Mother‘s Day took place in 1908. Anna Jarvis (daughter to above mentioned Ann Reeves Jarvis) held a memorial to honor her mother and all mothers. This is technically the first official celebration of Mother’s Day. After several years of this annual celebration, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill designating the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.
The Controversy Continues ~
As the years progressed, Anna Jarvis became increasingly frustrated at how Mother’s Day was being celebrated. According to Anna, the holiday was becoming too commercialized. She spent the rest of her life trying to get the holiday removed from the national calendar.
It is so sad that such a special day is plagued with so much controversy. However, we are not going to let this get in the way of showing moms all around the world how very much they are appreciated, right? How you choose to celebrate is obviously up to you….simplistic or extravagant. Keep in mind, the most important thing is just to convey love and thoughtfulness. Let’s look at some fun ideas!
Mother’s Day Ideas ~
- Brunch – Break out the china, pull out the tablecloths and add in some candles. It can be matchy matchy or all mis-matched. The idea is to bring together a fun meal with a special table setting. And…don’t you dare let mom make that meal….come on it’s Mother’s Day! If the children are small, let them make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with apple slices. If it is an adult planning then maybe go a little more sophisticated. Regardless of the menu, any mom is sure to appreciate the special attention!
- Household Chores – Every mom loves a break from house cleaning. Whether you take it on the fly and just clean the morning of or you create a coupon book for mom with different duties, offering to help clean is something every mom loves!
- Gardening and Flowers – We have spent several Mother’s Days once my children have gotten older with them helping me till the garden and plant the veggies and flowers. I love the help and especially love the special time with the kiddos. You can go a step further and purchase some of the garden goodies for her.
- Free Day – From sunup to sundown, let mom just relax. Does she love to lounge in bed or does she prefer time in the sun? Know what she likes and make sure she is content there all day long with snacks, drinks, books and a cozy blanket.
- Reading – Speaking of books, does she have a favorite author? Is she on a reading social media site (like Good Reads) where she saves books she would like to read? Look at that list and surprise her with one or two of her desired books.
- Hiking – Is mom the outdoors type? Plan a fun day of hiking and a picnic!
- Casino Time – Maybe mom loves to gamble. Offer to drive her to and from the closest casino. As an extra bonus, add in a little extra cash for her to have fun with! For heaven’s sakes, let her have fun! This would be one of my mom’s favorite gifts for sure!
- Shopping & Lunch – Need I really say more about how much fun this can be for both mom and daughter?
- Home Made Cards – My children loved making their own cards when they were smaller. What is important here is that you do this ahead of time so they have plenty of time to create the “perfect” card. There is no card out there that can be purchased that is more personal than a hand made one!
- Pet Spa – What mom wouldn’t love a break from bathing the family pet? Either wash the pets for her or just help out…you may be surprised at how much fun you can have together.
There are truly so many ideas for this special day. Personally, I love the gifts that are hand made or “time spent with my kids” gifts.
Also, there are some really unique ideas from Stampington & Company that you need to check out. They have free projects, that do also include links to purchase any of the items you don’t already have. Use the links in green below to find some really creative ideas.
This project is definitely the “Bee’s Knees” for a Mother’s Day Gift! Check it out here! (ok, I really love this one because bees are my fave!)
This Mother’s Day floral bouquet project is sure to be a hit…check it out! One of the things I love most about this project is that they used holiday clearance items (like a Christmas tree form) to redefine their use. It is so very creative.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I LOVE these very special soldered ornaments. You MUST see these! What is so wonderful about these is that you can use special sentiments OR you can use special photos!
These are just a few of their unique crafting ideas. Be sure to check out their website yourself here…Check out everything Stampington & Company has to offer here!!! Be sure to peruse their website, but click on DIY Inspiration ➡ Free Projects➡ Search Bar (and type in Mother’s Day) for more great Mother’s Day crafting ideas.
Create An Experience ~
Instead of a gift, create an experience that will be remembered over the years. We did a sleepover and spa day with my mother a couple of years ago! Click here to read about all of the fun! This was so much fun for all four generations in my family….my mother, myself, my daughter, and the grandkids! What is even better is that there wasn’t a lot of hoopla around it….no big plans, no big money, no big travel….just time spent together doing what girls love…spa day!
Sharing the Love on Both Sides ~
I still haven’t figured out the more current Mother’s Day controversy of spending this awesome day with both my mother and my mother-in-law…but I will continue to work on that! In the meantime, maybe this year will be difficult to figure out that dilemma after my kid’s see the current personal “spa day” I did on myself and my hair. I’m thinking this year a day at my favorite hair salon may just be that perfect gift for me…*HINT HINT*
P.S. Are you wondering about the woman in the cover pic? That’s my mom….she’s as cool now as she was when I was a kid!
Much love ~
Mimi
