Mother's Day's original roots

Even though Valentine’s Day is named after a Saint and has historical significance, it’s popular to make fun of the holiday. It is widely seen as a conspiracy between florists, candy, and greeting card companies. The history of Mother’s Day is quite the opposite.

No fewer than three states (West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania) lay claim to the inception of Mother’s Day. The earliest seems to have been celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia in 1907, but it wasn’t until 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson established that Mother’s Day was to be held on the second Sunday in May.

What I find interesting about our Mother’s Day is that, unlike Valentine’s Day, the original proponent of Mother’s Day in our country was openly resentful of the commercialization of the day. Initially held as a church service (hence the Sunday date), Anna Jarvis took action to stop the celebration that she founded when she saw that the holiday was being exploited for commercial purposes. She was particularly incensed by printed greeting cards, and actively encouraged hand-written notes.

The holiday has many analogs throughout the world, many of which pre-date the United States holiday by centuries. Some have different names like “Mothering Sunday” in Britain, or “Mother Pilgrimage fortnight” in Hinduism. several have different dates. “International Women’s Day” is also celebrated in several countries. The majority of western countries, eastern Europe and Africa follow our tradition of the second Sunday in May.

My wife and I have been blessed with two children and the experience still humbles me. While I’m proud that I became good enough at reading her vital signs on the hospital monitor that I could tell when she was going to have a contraction before she knew it, but that just means that she married a nerd. She endured terrible pain, and there wasn’t much I could do to comfort her, but she’s a tough cookie and got through it.

My greatest discomfort was that while I was seated at her shoulder, every medical student in a twenty-mile radius gathered at the foot of the bed to watch the business end of the process. I understand that they need to learn, but it seemed to violate both the privacy and intimacy of the moment. That was pre-HIPAA. I’m guessing that a few practices have changed since then.

The good news is that the doctor let me cut the umbilical cord. That was cool. I would have preferred to have a pair of oversized, chamber of commerce, ribbon-cutting shears to do the job, but it was still a nice touch. It helped me feel at least a little bit involved.

Beyond that, like most men, I had the easy end of the job. To this day, when I see a newborn baby, I’m mentally calculating the circumference of the head and shoulders. The whole process makes me shudder, and that’s before we embark on the midnight feedings, fevers, and endless taxi service to baseball, soccer and band practice.

I sincerely hope that husbands and children alike remember and acknowledge moms this weekend. It’s a big deal. I’m not a big fan of pre-printed cards either, but they are cheap and easy. Candy is good. Flowers are good. I’m doing dipped strawberries this year. A dinner out works too, as does breakfast in bed, but only if you clean up your dishes.

It’s also been noted that Mother’s Day generates a high level of long-distance telephone calls. That’s the very least we should do.

If you are lucky enough to still have a Mom, give her a ring. If not, there are probably other mothers in your life. Have a good weekend.