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There is something that all children will have experienced from the beginning of their youngest years, right through their teens, and most probably into their twenties as well. That something is the chiding that you receive from your Mum. You may not have been aware that you were doing anything wrong, as you wiped your snotty nose on your sleeve instead of getting up for a tissue. You may have thought it unfair that Joe got to stay out later than your curfew. And you may even have insisted that you didn’t need your jacket at all. Now that we have all grown a little, we can recognise the fact that, yes, Mum was right because you ran out of dry space on your sleeve, Joe got grounded for being late and you were glad of your jacket when it started snowing. There is usually only one day that we take the time to say thanks for all of these careful cautions, sensible suggestions and good guidance, and that is Mother’s Day. Although a solid celebration which we recognise in our calendars every year now, its official inception was in 1914 by Anna Jarvis, an American who campaigned for the day to be recognised by the Government. Her reason for the campaign that spanned across seven years was not because she believed that Mums, or Moms, everywhere should get more chocolates and flowers. She was a suffragette, like her Mother Ann Jarvis before her, who had established several Mother’s Day Work Clubs, which were institutes devoted to enhancing health and sanitary conditions across the USA. Preceding these events were the beliefs by many women in the aftermath of the American Civil War that women had a duty and a right to influence the society that they lived in by voicing political opinions – a far cry from the commercialisation that is seen today! Still, we celebrate the mothers of the world on this day in the best way that we know how. Whether it’s a home-made card with spelling mistakes, cold porridge because you weren’t allowed to use the cooker, or half-eaten chocolates because you couldn’t resist them any longer, mothers everywhere deserve that little bit of effort that you put into recognising all of their efforts. The ones that they make every day of every year. And although you’ve grown up now and you can buy your own card, instead of turning to the Bank of Dad, most women would agree that it is the little things that they appreciate most, like doing the dishes or the ironing, rather than expensive presents and treats. But we children already know that, we just don’t want to do them, so we still say thanks with gifts. Mum’s the word on that though! Andrea Zane from www.cambridgeopencollege.co.uk is currently studying for her child care level 3 qualification online.
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