by Angela Sanford
Mom’s come in all shapes and sizes and share with us their insight and experience. They may be biologically connected or chosen by our hearts and they have many different names, one of which is Mom.
The word “mom” has roots in the Latin word “modor” but, more interestingly, across many languages the word “ma” is universally a component of the title often given to this caregiver. “Ma” is taken from the natural sound of infants when they are feeding (Etymonline, 2024). The word “mom” didn’t appear in literature until the mid 1800’s , only half a century before the first celebration of Mother’s Day (History, 2024).
Originally, the concept of Mothers Day, (not Mother’s Day) was to be a day for mothers to congregate and help other moms who were less fortunate. (Waxman, 2018). The concept was generated by a lady who had lost nine of her thirteen children, before hey were adults. One of these children, with the intention of memorializing her mother, led the campaign to celebrate moms, stepping away from her mother’s original idea. The daughter’s campaign developed to celebrate all moms. Fascinatingly, the commencement of the first Mother’s Day coincided with the onset of women moving into the workforce.
With irony, over a century later, as suggested by the Reader’s Digest of Canada, the gift that moms want more than any other is the gift of time with their children; the same request my own sons hear regularly from me for any event that encourages gift giving. While there are many gifts to give a deserving mom, multiple sources concur that flowers are by far the most widespread and roses the most popular: pink for appreciation and adoration and yellow for joy and friendship.
Of course, moms don’t expect any gift -that’s not their train of thought in child bearing. Yet, for some moms the ultimate gift would certainly be time – time with a child lost all too soon and while Mother’s Day is a celebration to honour moms, it, like many other holidays, can summon pain much deeper than any labour pains.
Every day with a mom is special and memories of our moms are cherished with generations, through grandmothers, and great grandmothers and those fortunate enough to share time with them.
On Being a Mother –
To a fine, young lady named Linley, I have the pleasure of being God Mother, chosen before she was born. She is growing faster than I can keep up with but makes me proud every day.
I am grateful to a have a friend in my own mother, with whom I also bear a striking resemblance or so I am told. I fondly remember the lady who I happily called my Mother-in-Law, whom we lost before out youngest son was born, and with whom we would love to have the pleasure of her company once again.
I am the very proud mother of three young men, Devin, Ryan, and Wyatt who have given me the opportunity to be a Mother-in-Law myself. Pamela and Taylor are amazing women and the later is about to become a mom herself – and a terrific one no doubt!
That means that next year, for Mother’s Day, I will also be a grandmother – a new stage in my life but a role I am eager (overeager my husband might say) to begin!
Happy Mother’s Day to ALL moms, grandmoms, aunties, pet moms and any iteration of mom that works for you! You deserve to be celebrated!
References
Hague, M. (2024) 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mother’s Day in Canada. https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/relationships/13-things-you-didnt-know-about-mothers-day/
Waxman, O. (2018). The Surprisingly Sad Origin of Mother’s Day. https://time.com/4771354/mothers-day-history-origins/
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