Category — Mother's Day

History of Mother’s Day

There are many theories as to the history of Mother’s Day. Some historians believe that it began as a pagan holiday celebrated in Greece, while others believe it started as a way to recognize the Virgin Mary and was celebrated in conjunction with Lent.  While these may have been a kind of Mother’s Day, they are not what we now think of when they consider this occasion.

In fact, most people don’t know the origins of Mother’s Day or how long it has been celebrated in the United States.  Since very few people are left that were living when Mother’s Day began, we just reason that the occasion has always been celebrated. This is untrue, however, so it’s time to set the record straight.

Mother’s Day in the US was first suggested as a holiday in 1872 by the woman who wrote the words for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, Julia Ward Howe.  She was so adamant that there needed to be a holiday to honor mothers that she held annual Mother’s Day meetings in Boston each year.

Anna Jarvis picked up the Mother’s Day baton in 1907 and began trying to get Mother’s Day added as a national holiday.  The most she managed was to talk her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia into celebrating the day on the second Sunday of May.  The following year, the City of Philadelphia, known for Brotherly Love, began recognizing motherly love by celebrating the holiday.

For the next two years, Ms. Jarvis and her supporters tried to convince ministers, businessmen, and politicians that there should be a national holiday to honor the nation’s mothers.  By 1910, because of these efforts, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.  Nearly every state picked up the holiday the following year, and by 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially announced the second Sunday of May as a new national holiday, Mother’s Day.

After spending so much time and effort to get the holiday established, by 1923 Ms. Jarvis filed a lawsuit to stop the holiday.  Like many others since, she felt the holiday had been too commercialized and that businessmen were just trying to make money from it. In fact, at the Mother’s Day festival, Jarvis caused such a commotion that she was arrested for disturbing the peace because they sold white carnations – which was Jarvis’ symbol of motherhood.  She told a reporter she wished she’d never created the holiday.  Eventually she died alone in a mental institution in 1948.

Mother’s Day continues despite Jarvis’ attempts to have the day to honor mothers removed from historical record.  Many other countries also have a Mother’s Day, although they are not all celebrated on the same day or have the same origins.  Denmark, Turkey, Australia, Belgium, Italy, and Finland do celebrate the holiday on the second Sunday of May, just like the United States. But in the UK, the history of Mother’s Day is believed to stretch back as far as the 17th Century and “Mothering Sunday”, a day when children (especially daughters) were given the day off from domestic service to visit their families and “mother” church. Mothering Sunday is traditionally the fourth Sunday of Lent and has become a day to honor all mums.

Most mothers will receive cards and gifts on this day although they probably would prefer just being pampered for the day.  No matter how you celebrate Mother’s Day, make sure you let your mother know how important she is to you, and express to her how much you love her.  Those are probably the greatest gifts a mother could receive from their children.

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French Toast Recipe for Mother’s Day

If you are looking for a simple but tasty breakfast to serve your mom this Mother’s Day (or for your kids to make for their mom with your help) then this French Toast recipe is perfect.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
dash of salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
sliced fruit (optional)

Method:

Melt the butter in a skillet.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and salt together. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and cook until light brown in color and the egg is cooked. The bread should be slightly fluffy.

Remove from the pan. Add the brown sugar to the pan and stir until melted. Then add the water and stir.

Place the bread back in the pan and turn to coat. Remove from the pan.

Serve with mom’s favorite fruit, sliced, as a garnish or side dish.

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Mother’s Day Ideas

There are a number of Mother’s Day ideas for kids to become involved in. Let’s start with some for younger children.

There are a number of Mother’s Day books which younger kids can read to their moms to celebrate the day. In addition, if your child attends pre-school, the teacher may have each of the kids make hand prints as a gift for their moms. Or the child can be helped making flowers using construction paper.

Children love to make gifts for parents. Here are just a few of the things younger kids can do to show their love on Mother’s Day:

* Dad can make breakfast for mom and the younger child can bring it to mom’s room and surprise her.
* Make Mother’s Day signs and hang them around the home.
* Write a letter to Mom on colorful paper.
* Make a Mother’s Day card.
* Dad can go online and print out a Mother’s Day template for kids to color and present to mom.
* The kids may offer to do certain chores for a week.
* Use construction paper to make a hanging sign spelling out the word love.
* Find an award template which can be printed out and given to mom.

Mother’s day ideas for younger kids, depending upon their age, can encompass a variety of creative and thoughtful presents. Dad, ask your kids what they would like to do, and offer your assistance.

Whether it’s giving a box of candy or a bouquet of flowers, moms everywhere appreciate whatever their kids give them for Mother’s Day. For older children here are some ideas that mom is going to love:

* Take mom out for lunch
* Buy her favorite CD
* Give her a box of her favorite chocolates
* Place one red rose in a vase and present it to her
* Give her breakfast in bed
* Prepare the table for dinner
* Do the laundry
* Take her to the park for a picnic lunch
* Clean the house
* Bake her a cake or favorite cookies
* Take her to a movie
* Buy her favorite bath oil and some candles
* Make a special card using the computer
* Offer to do a specific chore for a week
* Make a huge Happy Mother’s Day Sign
* Give her a picture of you in a specially decorated frame
* Make a jewelry box for her using dried flowers
* Make a bag of potpourri using dried flowers from the garden
* Put together a scrapbook of her favorite recipes

You know, moms are special in so many ways. Unselfish, kind, loving, caring - qualities we sometimes take for granted. Mom probably doesn’t expect anything for Mother’s Day, which is why anything a child does for mom will be appreciated beyond belief. 

While the kids may not have the money to buy some of the items listed above, their ingenuity will see them through. Whatever Mother’s Day ideas your kids decide on to help celebrate her special day, you know they have thought about it and it comes from the heart.

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