Sunday is Mother’s Day, and for the first time in almost a decade, I’m going to be spending the actual day with my daughter. In our family, we’re pretty relaxed about observing holidays on the designated day, so when The Kiddo invited me down for the weekend, I was surprised, but jumped at the opportunity. Following our personal tradition, the visit will consist of “doing what Mom wants to do with no complaining.” It will also be a far cry from earlier celebrations of Mother’s Day in the country’s history.
Despite earlier, organized efforts to honor mothers, often by the temperance movement, Anna Jarvis is generally recognized as pushing for the observance of Mother’s Day in a form that is recognizable today. In May 1914, Congress passed a resolution making the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day; President Wilson issued this proclamation:
Mother’s Day almost immediately became a “Hallmark holiday”:
The intertwining of motherhood with patriotism is a hallmark of the early celebrations, and naturally, wartime exacerbated that tendency:
After WWII, consumerism was front and center:
By the 1960s, the messages were definitely mixed:
The 1970s and onward brought another shift as more mothers were acknowledged as working outside of the home. (The fact is that a great number of poor-to-lower-middle-class women had been working [generally low wage] jobs for decades, but they were never the target demographic.):
That’s the past. I’m not even going to include any current advertisements or cards, because in a year when women are leading the Resistance; when women are facing being defined as a pre-existing condition; and when strong women leaders are pilloried on a daily basis, it’s time to create our own version of Mother’s Day. For those who have mothers who are remembered fondly, and for those who wish they could forget; for those who are mothers, and for those who are not; for those whose mothers are still with them, and for those whose mothers are memories…what is your 2017 version of Mother’s Day?
Thanks, DoReMI.
We’re all mothers right now, working to clean up the mess our beloved country is in. Mothers get shit done.
That sentiment is precisely what prompted this diary; men may still hold most of the reins of power, but women are discovering just how powerful our voices can be. Something has been unleashed, and I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.
Good morning, Pond Dwellers! Thanks for the thread, DoReMi. 58 right now with a high of 90. That doesn’t sound very springlike to me.
When I was “just” a single, working mother, I fell under several of those advertising demographics. I struggled for years because of the stereotype that working moms were bad mothers. Then, as more women were forced into working through divorce or death of a spouse, it eased up a bit. As a retired “kick ass” mother, I see the mothers and grandmothers (technically, I am not one of the latter) leading this resistance. We have survived bra burning and war and We Will Not Stay Throwed.
Now, time for more coffee.
I had the best of both worlds as a kid; my mom always worked, but it was in the schools, so she was home with us during the summer. I’m sure this is part of the reason why it never occurred to me to be a 100% SAHM. I did work seasonally when The Kiddo was young, but that meant I was home in the winter, not the summer. Of course, I was fortunate my husband understood he was a parent, not a babysitter.
The only one of the ads that “bothered” me was the Pyrex one…getting a set of those primary bowls nowadays is likely to cost $100+!
My mom and dad both worked road construction so they’d be home in late fall and winter. Sometimes mom would get a job cooking or tending bar to supplement unemployment.
I actually have that set (minus the yellow one). I’ve seen the yellows for sale from time to time. Maybe I’ll pick one up someday to complete my set.
I got my daughter that set for her birthday a few years ago. To say she was initially underwhelmed would be understating it, but she’s become a convert. I ended up settling for a late ’60s Verde (shades of olive greens) for myself, after years of Tupperware. Using glass makes a huge difference when mixing batters…I don’t know why I waited so long.
Thank you DoReMI. Wonderful post.
When I was typing my comment, my phone’s autocorrect suggested “MomentaryGrace” for mom. I was shocked…
Good morning and thanks, DoReMI. I grew up (in Asian cultures) believing that every day should be Mother’s Day. And while my mom and I have had our share of disagreements, arguments, passive-aggressive stuff etc, I’m still very grateful to her for being my mom and I love her. Even if she drives me up the wall sometimes.
{{{DoReMI}}} – Mothers’ Day started out as anti-war protests. The Powers That Be did what they always do with such things – co-opted it. Glamorized it, sanitized it, merchandised it. And reduced its power to nothing.
If Momma ever had one of those pyrex bowl sets, they didn’t last. I do remember other folks in my first neighborhood having them. And I think my grandmother. Momma preferred stainless steel (or in some cases wood). At least after my younger siblings broke everything else.
Most of my childhood Momma worked at least part time. She managed to give us almost one year in the country with a stay-at-home mom. The year Daddy showed up again and actually paid child support for 10 months in a row – summer of 1962 and the 62-63 school year – she found a little house outside Friendswood, TX (now a part of the Great Houston Metropolitan Area) and we did the rural things. Garden, play in the woods and creek behind the house, “tribe” of dogs, ride the bus to school – and Momma at home when we got back. Then Daddy started slacking off on the child support and it was back to Houston so Momma could get a job. My mother is the reason I know women are as strong as they have to be for as long as they have to be. (My father is the reason I don’t depend on men – they can be good looking and fun to be with, but when you need them they just aren’t there although they most certainly are when they need you.)
Celebrating Mothers’ Day is for everyone. After all, whether or not you are a mother, you obviously had one. {{{Moose Villagers}}}
What a lovely post, DoReMI! Thank you. Between Younger Son and grandson’s visit this morning, then going to the gym and making lunch afterwards, I simply didn’t have time to read this.
Wonderful illustrations! What does Mother’s Day mean to me? Buying presents for myself (a massage and some orchard chocolates), going out to breakfast on Sunday morning last, going out to dinner Saturday night at a friend’s house and to a Mexican restaurant on Sunday.
It’s not a day for remembering my mother especially because I think of her and miss her every day of my life. After she died I missed her every hour, but it has got better with time…nine years now. Every time I pass the dill in my herb garden or catch sight of a bottle of Tabasco sauce, I think of her. And when I use paper towels, or wash the tops off tins before I open them, or hear a snatch of an operatic aria, or kiss and cuddle my grandchildren…the list is endless.
It’s late evening and I’m for a bath and bed! Hope everyone has had a good day.