Boycotting Mother’s Day Is The Wrong Battle To Pick
Being a mother can be really hard, and I will not give up my day of glory that comes but once a year on Mother’s Day. Believe it or not, there are mothers who hate Mother’s Day””similar to people who refuse to celebrate honest-to-God fun holidays because of ”commercialism.”
I’ve heard this rant about Valentine’s Day and often Christmas every year of my life. But now you’re trying to take Mother’s Day from me too?
One blogger explains her reasoning behind boycotting Mother’s Day:
All throughout my childhood I felt like Mother’s Day was forced down my throat like liver and onions. It was as if my mother’s entire existence depended upon how much praise and pageantry I could heap on her during one awkward and seemingly rehearsed Sunday in May. This contributed to my belief that Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day) are ridiculous made-up holidays. They are a farce perpetuated by card companies, florists and chocolatiers.
Still, I want to hold onto the idea that I celebrate being a mother every day. I am eternally grateful for being blessed with three lovely children, and I am honored and humbled by the privilege and responsibility of being their mother. I am a mother each and every day, and I want to celebrate it like the daily gift that it is.
I want to give this blogger all of the respect she deserves; this is not an attack on her character. She sounds like a great mother, and she is entitled to her own point of view. But I absolutely hate this anti-commercial attitude that sucks the fun out of cheesy holidays that are ”forced down our throats.”
I’ve only had two Mother’s Days, and so far, I am enjoying them. This year will be my third. I haven’t done anything amazing to celebrate, but I’ll take flowers when they are given to me and well wishes from family members via Facebook and text. It is one day of the year. Even in light of this blogger’s reasoning, I can’t think of one good reason not to enjoy it.
In the parenting world, there are many, many battles to pick. Boycotting Mother’s Day is not one of them. As a parent, and especially as a mother, you’re likely to get tangled up in the mommy wars at least once in your life, and you’ll also have to make tough parenting decisions. One holiday is not going to make a difference either way. Enjoy the day for what it is, even if you claim to cherish your children every other day of the year (very similar to the argument of couples who don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day). At least on Mother’s Day, you get to sleep in.
(Image: Sunny studio/Shutterstock)
