The Mother’s Day message of love and gratitude is still the same. But with the coronavirus being a continued threat we will be celebrating a little differently this year.
On Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day reminds us to honor mothers everywhere. This day is usually celebrated with gatherings, good food, hugs and lots of love. But this year forget about loud family dinners, big brunches and those welcoming hugs. And we may have to get creative to let Mom know we love her.
Being a Mother is a lifetime of challenges. Motherhood can be exhausting and inspiring. It’s a job that is never complete. As long as you have children, even after they are all grown up you are still a mother. And this includes foster moms, adopted moms and step mothers.
No Visiting On Mother’s Day
Consider sending homemade treats and flowers to be carefully delivered to our aging Moms. With no-visiting rules, still in place for senior living facilities and hospitals, you may have to modify your visit. Maybe you can see each other outside the window or from a safe 6 feet away. Send videos and make video calls. There are ways to see each other and still be safe.
Speaking of technology, there are lots of gift ideas that are user friendly. Any user friendly device could be a great gift for Mom. Just make sure she can manage the new technology. This way you can have daily facetime. And it is a wonderful way to break up the isolation.
With schools on-hold, Dads can help the kids make some gifts. And maybe he could help the children with online gift buying for Mom.
Mothers Day Beginnings
The idea that we need to recognize the importance of motherhood and celebrate our mothers isn’t new. It dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. They held big festivals in the name of Cybele (mother of nature) and Rhea (mother of prophecy). These goddesses embodied motherhood.
“Mothering Sunday” was a traditional Christian custom in early America. It was mainly a recognition in the churches that Mothers should be honored and was a mainstay in churches.
The Mothering Sunday concept eventually became a more secular holiday and merged with Mother’s Day, in America.
Activist Anna Jarvis created Mother’s Day in 1908. And it was signed into law in 1914. For over 100 years, children of all ages have honored their Mothers with cards, flowers and gifts of appreciation.
Mother’s Day Fast Facts
- On this day phone traffic spikes by over 35 percent. This is over 120 million calls. Almost everyone calls their Mother on Mother’s Day.
- Coretta Scott King, the wife of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., led a march, in 1968 on Mother’s Day. She supported underprivileged women and children having equal access to childcare.
- This holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, every year. In 2020, it will be on May 10th. But the date can vary.
