Written by Caitlynn Woods (Features Writer)
As the wonderful holiday of Mothers Day approaches, there are plenty of things that you can do for your mom. Simple acts of kindness or sentimental gifts or just quality time, in general, can really make a day like this a thousand times better. There are plenty of things that you can do to show appreciation for your mother on Mother’s Day.
The first idea to take into consideration is making your mom breakfast in bed, regardless of whether or not you can make good food, the action of it will count. Alongside making food for her, you could make food with her. On the topic of household activities, cleaning the house is a good act of service that can be done and would likely be greatly appreciated.
One of the more relaxing quality time activities that can be done for Mother’s Day could be to just sit and relax with her – put on a movie and chill for the day. Spa days are also a great way to spend time relaxing with your mother on Mother’s Day. On a slightly less relaxing note, playing any kind of game together is a great way to spend time together and bond on Mother’s Day.
One of the common gifts to give to your mom for Mother’s Day is flowers such as roses, lilies, and tulips. If a more homemade gift is desired, picking flowers from outside of the house is a great idea as well. To go along with that, a card with a sweet note. More things that you could give to your mom on Mother’s Day are pictures, printed out, in an album, or even in a locket. Speaking of jewelry, rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are all wonderful gifts to give on Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day as we know it was not always celebrated with gifts and spent time, the way that we know today. The celebration of motherhood has been dated all the way back to ancient Greece when they would honor the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. However, the holiday of Mother’s Day that we know now, did not come about until the 19th century. A woman named Anne Reeves Jarvis began “mother’s day work clubs” to teach women how to properly care for their children. Not long after, in 1870, Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” which proposed the idea that mothers from all over the united states would gather to promote world peace.
The traditional idea of Mother’s Day, however, did not come about until the daughter of Anne Reeves Jarvis, Anna Jarvis, conceived Mother’s Day to be a day of honoring the sacrifices that mothers make for their children. In 1908, the first Mother’s day celebration was organized in a Methodist church and was attended by thousands of people. Anna Jarvis lived to see her holiday be added to the national calendar, after arguing that American holidays only honored male achievements which urged politicians to adopt Mother’s Day.
On the contrary, some other countries have been celebrating Mother’s Day differently and for longer periods of time. For example, in Ethiopia, families gather every fall to eat a large feast and sing songs in honor of Mother’s Day. These celebrations go on for days on end. In Thailand, Mother’s Day is celebrated in August, on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit.
Not only is Mother’s Day of use for honoring motherhood, but many individuals also use the day as a gateway to propose new ideas of feminist acts. As an example, in 1968, Coretta Scott King used Mother’s Day as a march to support underprivileged women. Many people use Mother’s Day as a way to highlight the need for equal rights all around the world.
Regardless of typical traditions or promotions, Mother’s Day is important to celebrate because mothers make great sacrifices for their children every day. Even if you cannot afford things like flowers, sweets, or red box movies, quality time is a great way to honor the motherly figures in your life. As they sacrifice their time, energy, health, and well-being for you, it is appropriate to at the very least, thank them.
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