According to Wikipedia (Yeah, I know, I've been reading a lot on Wikipedia lately)...
"The United States celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. In the United States, Mother's Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. However, it was intended as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers' Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors.
When Jarvis died in 1907, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother's Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908, in the church where the elder Ann Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Originally the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, this building is now the International Mother's Day Shrine (a National Historic Landmark). From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
Nine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. Mother's Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States."
This is a 2006 breakdown of the monies spent on Mother's Day. Click on the chart to enlarge...
What's the big deal? I don't personally have a problem with Mother's Day becoming more commercialized. Wine me, dine me, buy me gifts - I REALLY don't mind! My boys, husband included, made me breakfast in bed this morning, although I spoiled it by coming downstairs before they were ready. No matter, breakfast was made for me and I enjoyed it. I was presented a beautiful bouquet of mixed fresh-cut flowers, already arranged in the vase. They gave me special cards and my youngest son had made two different cards at school and they were precious! It won't be long before the handmade cards cease to be given and I'll miss that, so I'm going to really cherish these. Lastly, my sweet trio presented me with a spa package and I'm already excited about making the appointment. I do love a trip to the spa!
Normally we'd all be in church together on Mother's Day, however, my youngest has a case of strep throat, and hasn't been on his antibiotics for even 24 hours, therefore I opted to stay at home and send my husband and oldest son to church instead. What kind of mother would I be if I went to church and left my child at home with his dad on Mother's Day? I shudder to think!
Motherhood is a tough job, and certainly not for wimps. It's not always glamorous and there are days when you want to "quit" or "retire," but luckily those days are few and far between. The benefits far outweigh the complaints. I always knew I wanted to be somebody's wife and mother, and I've been blessed to be both. I certainly never could have imagined the amount of love I could feel for a child until I had children of my own. Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere! I hope your day is full of special moments!
Now... here's a little chocolate on me. Enjoy!
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