Happy Mother’s Day – 2022!
“A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.” —Unknown.
There is no friend or supporter like a mother. Mothers do more than raise children; they determine a child’s attitude and upbringing. Your mom contributed so much to the person you are today. Interestingly, a child remains a mother’s baby even at 60. Whether you are a thinker, leader, priest, philosopher, or tycoon, you will always be your mother’s baby!
You will always feel safe and vulnerable in your mom’s arms even when you are physically stronger than her. This is because mothers love their children in all situations and phases in life, making them great anchors in life. This unconditional love makes them heroines to their children, family, and society.
While we can never pay back mothers for what they have done to us and continue doing, we can reciprocate their love and affection. We can make them feel loved and special through sweet gestures and gifts (best gifts are priceless). If you are looking for ways to appreciate your mum and make them feel special, take Mother’s Day as an excellent opportunity to express your love.
What is the Mother’s Day Celebration?
Mother’s day is a celebration in honor of a family’s or individual’s mother, motherhood, maternal attachments, and the influence of mothers in society. Mother’s Day in the US is a yearly holiday observed on the second Sunday in May. This year’s celebration will occur on May 8.
Fun Facts about Mother’s Day:
- Mother’s day is the busiest day of the year for most restaurants.
- It is among the top-selling holiday for plants and flowers (Third after Christmas and Easter).
- About 122 million phone calls are made on Mother’s Day every year. Many moms will wake to a “Happy Mother’s Day!” phone call on May 8!.
- Mother’s Day in the US is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, and therefore, it is not marked on the same date every year.
- Ann Jarvis is the pioneer of Mother’s Day in the United States. She fought for the day to be recognized as an official holiday.
- The most popular gift for this holiday is a greeting card.
- Most women in the US get their first child in their mid-twenties.
- Red and white carnations are primarily associated with Mother’s Day.
- Mother’s Day is celebrated in 46 countries across the world.
- Women purchase 80% of overall cards sent on Mother’s Day.
The Birth of Mother’s Day in the US:
The United States Mother’s Day dates back to the early 1900s when a woman called Anna Jarvis began a campaign to have an official holiday to honor mothers after her mother died. In 1908, Jarvis held a public memorial in Grafton, West Virginia, in honor of her mother. There was a comprehensive celebration of women during that memorial.
She actively pushed to have the mother’s holiday officially recognized by the State as she recognized her mother’s contribution to her life and society at large. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson agreed to her plea by signing a proclamation that Mother’s Day would be celebrated as an official holiday every second Sunday of May.
Anna Jarvis’ idea for Mother’s Day holiday was to have a day dedicated to showing gratitude and expressing love to individual mothers, acknowledging the sacrifices they make for their children. She kept “Mother’s” as a singular possessive, as marked by the apostrophe, so individual mothers and women could feel the love personally amid the global celebration of motherhood.
Previous Mother’s Days:
Years ago, just before Anna Jarvis fought for recognition of mother’s day, her mother played a vital role in uniting women for a good cause. Anna Reeves Jarvis, also known as Mama Jarvis, helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to educate local women to care for their children effectively.
Mama Jarvis also cared for wounded soldiers during the Civil war. After the war, she organized a “Mothers’ Friendship Day” to foster reconciliation between Confederate soldiers and the former Union and mothers from both sides. She focused on caring for children and people around her and promoting peace. Such actions drove Anna Jarvis to fight for a day to celebrate her mom, among other mothers.
As Mama Jarvis was working hard to promote peace and unity, Julia Ward Howe was struggling to have June 2 celebrated as “Mother’s Peace Day.” She wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” calling mothers to work toward world peace. These two women, among others, are responsible for Mother’s Day precursors in the American culture.
Mother’s Day in Other Parts of the World:
Motherhood celebrations go beyond Anna Jarvis, Mama Jarvis, and Julia Ward Howe’s efforts. Different countries today celebrate mother’s day differently and on varying days throughout the year. However, some countries celebrate Mother’s Day on the same day as the United States, which is powerful proof of Anna Jarvis’s influence.
In some countries, the motherhood celebration involves worship of a mother deity such as Cybele and Rhea in Ancient Greece and Goddess Isis in Ancient Egypt. In other countries, the celebrations were tangentially about mothers. For example, ‘Mothering Sunday’ in the UK was dedicated to the “Mother church” before it was later extended to honor real mothers.
In Thailand, Mother’s Day is celebrated in August on the birthday of Queen Sirikit. Mother’s Day is celebrated in Ethiopia by observing a three-day feast known as “Antrosht.”Families engage in a large feast and sing celebration songs to celebrate and honor mothers.
Juliet Calhoun Blakely, an activist and another pioneer related to the ancient Mother’s Day, inspired the Mother’s Day celebration in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. In the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Mary Towles Sassen and Frank Hering worked to organize Mother’s Day, causing Hering to be referred to as “the father of Mother’s Day.”
The Controversy Surrounding Mother’s Day Celebration:
After Anna Jarvis succeeded in getting Mother’s Day to become an official national holiday, she was dissatisfied with its celebration. In the first years of the Mother’s Day celebration, Jarvis observed that florists, card-makers, candy-makers, and charities used the day for financial gain. She felt that the holiday’s commercialization was wrong and that it should have been a personal celebration of a mother and an individual connection between a mother and her children.
Jarvis began a fight in 1920 to prevent businesses from profiting through selling gifts on the Mother’s Day holiday. While she had fought so hard to have the day recognized by the State, she began a fight to have it removed from the national holidays’ calendar. Jarvis spent a lot of money in lawsuits against people who used the holiday for their gains. Unfortunately, she died without accomplishing this goal.
11 Beautiful Quotes about Mother’s Day:
- “It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?” —Mahatma Gandhi
- Moms are as relentless as the tides. They don’t just drive us to practice; they drive us to greatness. ~ Steve Rushin
- “The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” —James E. Faust
- “Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes.
- Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary – it’s an act of infinite optimism.” —Gilda Radner.
- “A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but also reflected on the past in the guise of fond memories.” —Honore de Balzac.
- “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” —Unknown.
- “If evolution works, how come mothers only have two hands?” – Milton Berle.
- “I can imagine no heroism greater than motherhood.” —Lance Conrad
- It is never easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. ~ Author Unknown
- Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa
15 Best Mother’s Day Activities that Every Mother Will Love:
Most mothers will tell you that the best gift is spending quality time with their children. While it is okay to spoil your mother with bouquets and gifts, you can make them feel more special by spending time with them. We came up with a fun list of activities for this Mother’s Day, including cooking ideas, virtual experiences, and some outdoor fun.
Our fun ideas are priceless gifts that your mother will love and cherish forever!
1. Plan for a Cookout:
“Time is precious; make sure you spend it with the right people.” – Unknown.
Every mother deserves a precious gift, and time is the most precious commodity. Spending quality time with your mother is an excellent plan for the Mother’s Day celebration. The program will get better if you have a cookout together. Cooking is a perfect bonding activity that you don’t want to miss! Mother’s Day is around the beginning of the warm weather, meaning it is the ideal time to cook meals and enjoy time together in the beautiful weather.
2. Volunteer as a Family:
Motherhood is a gift that keeps on giving and serving others. Mothers put the needs of others before their own hence giving to others would be a perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Since Mother’s Day is about all mothers globally, you can mark it by volunteering in an organization supporting women, especially if your mother is not alive. You can also spend quality time with your mother, serving the less privileged in society. Not only will you spend quality time together, but your other will also find fulfillment by bonding with the community.
3. Enjoy Home Movies:
There is nothing as interesting as watching old home videos with your mom. You will spend quality time together and have everyone in the family howling with laughter, watching the old outfit that mom and dad used to wear or your own crazy experiences from the past years.
4. Film a Home Movie:
After going through all the old home videos and celebrating things you did in the past as a family, make some new ones. You can film yourselves doing some Mother’s Day activities for future reference. You can also create spoof movies to watch later in the evening or after a few days just for laughs.
5. Prepare a Homemade Sushi:
Sushi is a little package of various fish, rice and veggies, and sometimes sauces that are well balanced to give you a wholesome experience. You will love every bite of Sushi and want more when the combination is correct. The ingredients are endless (Check out endless recipes on the internet), meaning you can experiment with different menus for fun. Forget about the challenges you might experience when preparing the Sushi because the cooking process will give you tons of fun!
Note: The internet is full of at-home kits that help out first-timers.
6. Take her to Cheese Tasting:
What feels better than taking a small bite of cheese, closing your eyes, chewing it slowly, and letting it melt in your mouth? Cheese tasting is a soothing experience that your mother will love as she samples different flavors of creamy, savory cheese.
A quick internet search will turn up all cheese tasting events within your locality. If you don’t want to spend any money or go out, you host your cheese tasting at home. You need to pick new and fun cheese varieties from the food store or supermarket and let your mother enjoy the tasting event.
7. Sing Karaoke:
Is your mom your star? Make her feel like a rockstar. Your mom’s singing doesn’t have to be perfect. Just pull up a Karaoke YouTube video playing their favorite tunes and hand her a mic! Your mother doesn’t need to go to a karaoke club to enjoy singing her favorite tunes! Bring the fun to your living room
8. Read Together:
Do you have a favorite book with your mother? You can read favorite books together this year’s Mother’s Day. You can also write a story about your mother, mentioning things you love about them. This will warm her heart and cause her to feel so unique and valued. You can spend the entire afternoon reading favorite books to them and discussing the content together.
9. Go to the Beach:
While the weather may not allow your mother and you to enjoy your bathing suits, you can still enjoy the fresh air of the Beach. However, this is the best time to go to the Beach before crowds take over during the summer season. You can have conversations or read a book as you enjoy nature’s beauty.
10. Play together with her Favorite Games:
You don’t need to leave the compound to enjoy Mother’s Day. You can spend the afternoon in the backyard with different lawn games such as capture the flag, horseshoes, or cornhole. Set up a station and have fun playing as a family. It would help if you also had some snacks and refreshments for the entire family.
11. Go Shopping:
Women love shopping, and I bet your mother is not an exception. You can take her to her favorite store or go antiquing at a local market. Help her pick her favorite things such as home decor, clothes, and jewelry.
12. Indulge in Manicures and Pedicures
Research shows that relaxing activities help to reduce stress and have immediate and long-lasting health benefits. Indulging in manicure and pedicure exercise is an excellent way to pamper your mother. You can either have some nail polishing arts at home or take them to a salon of their choice.
13. Book a Massage:
Booking a massage for your mother can cause them to feel so special about themselves. No mother won’t enjoy a sixty-minute of pure solitude and relaxation. You can reach out to spa services that can come home and offer your mother an at-home experience.
14. Plant a Vegetable Garden
Did you know that spending time in a green space can boost your mood? Planting a vegetable garden is fun and equally productive. You can check out different YouTube channels to learn how to get started.
15. Let Her Sleep In!
Sometimes the best gift comes from the simplest pleasures of life. Mothers spend so much time serving others that they forget to take enough rest. You can pamper your mom this Mother’s Day by asking her to have a good night’s sleep on the holiday’s eve and letting her take a good nap during the day. Perform all her duties to allow her to have a genuinely peaceful slumber.
Parting Shot:
Your mom is your forever friend; she always has your back!
Your Mom is a gem. She is to be treasured!
She is so graceful,
She is caring,
Selfless,
Strong!
At Kids on the Yard, We believe in families, motherhood, and love.
Happy Mother’s Day to Every MOM!
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