Mother May I? - M's Gems

By: Melissa Goldberg

Oh yes indeed you may...

Which is why Mommas Pearls is re-posting this precious M's Gem to remind all the mommas who we come to celebrate this year again!! 

Mother’s day is a National Holiday that dates back to 1914 when President Woodro Wilson made it official. A day to honor Mother’s all over the country. Anna Jarvis, the “Mother” of Mother’s Day had a vision to increase respect for parents and strengthen family bonds. The tradition of handing out carnations was started because her mother’s favorite flower was a carnation. What is an interesting fact, is that many years after the holiday was instituted, Anna was quite upset about the level of commercialism it had become and spent her inheritance in trying to ban the holiday (Thank you Wikipedia for your fact finding).

Gail, Cynthia’s mom told us on the Mommas Pearls Radio Show, “to be present and to be in the moment when celebrating with your mother”. In honor of Anna and our Mother’s, here are some ways to honor and celebrate Mothers everywhere.

Some of M’s Gems...
• Words - The power of words is astounding. Forget the card store, write a note, draw a picture, no need to rhyme or to stay in the lines...

• Enjoy Her Passion - Some mothers’ like crafts, they like sports, they love books or games. This weekend do something she loves to do, you may even learn something new. If your mom loves her garden, then forget the florist and head to the local nursery and pick up some plants, gloves and tools.

• Talk is Cheap - No, Really, talk is cheap! There is nothing like a long walk in the park or sitting on a chair on the porch where you can find some great conversation. Talk is cheap but the conversation can be rich!

• Take a Picture With Your Mom - How many times do we give a framed picture of our kids to our mother’s, no no no, On this day, we honor them. Go about this the way you wish. You can go over the top and set up a formal photo shoot at a studio or you can have a friend with a nice camera come over and click away or even better have your kids sketch a portrait.

• Feed Her Soul- When in doubt...eat! They say, the way to a man’s heart is through his belly, well this works for women too. Remember to dine on Mom’s favorites.

• Share an Experience - No, this doesn’t mean you need to take mom skydiving, but do something that allows you both to do something different. This adds to the memories and the stories that you can share and talk about for years. Ideas? Well, perhaps a dance lesson, a cooking class or you can take a road trip and drive to a book store out of town to attend a book signing...whatever mom wants.


• Interview your Mother/Research your Mother - The basis behind Mommas Pearls is telling our stories and writing them down. Get her voice on tape, ask her as many questions as you can. You may be surprised by some of the answers. Even though you know your mother your whole life, there is still a lot you don’t know.

• BE Honored / BE Celebrated - If you are a mom, don’t forget to allow your loved ones to pamper you, to celebrate you and to honor you – you’ve waited all year for one day, enjoy it!

Happy Mother’s Day! 

(Note: Originally published May 2010)