It’s hard to miss Mother’s Day, which is just around the corner (May 11, 2008), with all the posters, ads and merchandise everywhere, even this early. There’s no doubt that Mother’s Day is now highly commercialized, which is the reason why some disregard this day. They say that Mother’s Day, just like the day of love, should be every day. It could be celebrated without all the fuss and, of course, expenses. I bet many are already searching for the perfect mother’s day gift at this moment.
Still, there’s no harm in celebrating the day reserved for mothers. With our daily concerns, we usually take for granted those who are important to us, including our mothers, or our parents for that matter. We usually come to our senses and often cherish them when something happens, like death, which is one of the inescapable truths in life. But, hey, this already sounds like an emotional blackmail.
By way of background, the Mother’s Day in May was first celebrated in private in 1907 by Anna Jarvis in West Virginia. A larger celebration was organized by Jarvis in 1908. In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day (Wikipedia). In the Philippines, Mother’s Day is also celebrated every second Sunday of May. This year, 2008, Mother’s Day falls on May 11.
You may be wondering why this site, which is mainly by and for Pinoy Dads, takes time out to celebrate Mother’s Day. The are a number of obvious answers.
We can’t escape the fact that our significant others are the mothers of our children (I use the term “significant other” in the broadest sense, just to avoid excluding others). I would often tell my wife, in jest of course (least I unleash hell unto myself), that she’s not my blood relative, unlike our son.
More importantly, Pinoy Dads are non-existent without mothers. Ang sabi nga sa mga ginintuang payo e si Inay ang nagturo sa atin tungkol sa CIRCLE OF LIFE — “Salbahe kang bata ka, iniluwal kita sa mundong ito, maari rin kitang alisin sa mundong ito.”
Mother’s Day could be extra meaningful for those called Mama’s Boy, though I find this label misleading. A mama’s boy, the way I see it, simply refers to a boy/man who, usually being the favorite child, is very close to his mother. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the boy/man is incapable of making decisions without the go signal of his mother, although this, unfortunately, is the common connotation of the term and, worse, those types are currently prowling the earth.
Anyway, here’s my tribute to my mother, and to all mothers as well, on Mother’s Day.
