Mother’s Day: A Day Unlike Every Other Holiday

This Sunday, Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day. Sadly, just another “American Holiday” that like many other “American Holidays” has been commercialized beyond recognition.

Most of us, if we haven’t done so already will run out to our nearest shopping center or get on our computers to make some last-minute purchases.  Oops, did I step on your toes? Crunch, crunch!  Shame on me! Uh not really!  Whether we buy flowers, candy, cards, clothing, electronics and/or take mom to dinner, the vast majority of us have in the words of Denzel Washington’s 1992 portrayal of Malcolm X “been had, been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amuck” into believing that spending money, massive amounts of money in actuality, is required to honor our mothers.

In fact, the original intent of Mother’s Day has been so bastardized (no pun intended) that a significant number of us mistakenly believe that the amount of money spent on “stuff” quantifies the depth of our love and appreciation of our mothers. I hate to tell you this folks but that type of thinking is straight up Horse “’S’ to the ‘H’ to the ‘I’ to the ‘T’” or in politically correct terminology just wrong.

This concept of Mother’s Day is so flawed. Ruined just like all our other societal attempts to measure love with money…Wedding$, Chri$tma$ and Valentine’$ Day included. Just so you know money can be an outward token of love but money should never be compared or equated with love.  Or like the Beatles once sung money “Can’t Buy Me Love“.

Mother’s Day Origin

So you celebrate Mother’s Day but do you know why you do it?  Now, I’m all for the spirit of cooperation but you need to ask yourself what’s with this going along just to get along nonsense. Are you attempting to make the late Rodney King proud of you? Maybe Mother’s day is just something else you do because – well like you uttered as a child – “everyone else does it”?

Consider this though, if you do buy “stuff” because it is a date on the calendar, aren’t you actually sullying your mom’s good name? Didn’t your mom tell you not to be a follower, not to do stuff just because everyone else does it, to know what you are getting yourself into and to use your own mind?

I know my mom told me those things and I bet your mom told you something similar. I also have a sneaky suspicion that if you are doing things your mom warned against, she would not be too happy with you right now. For now, I’ll keep your behavior a secret but if you don’t get it together soon, I’m going to have to tell your mommy on you.

FYI, the creation of Mother’s Day was intended with one purpose only. Whether it was the ancient Greek civilization’s celebration of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods; Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom; Julia Ward Howe organizing annual Mother’s Day celebrations throughout Boston in the 1870s; Juliet Calhoun Blakely’s celebration of Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s; or Anna Jarvis holding a private Mother’s Day celebration in memory of her mother in the early 20^th century in Grafton, West Virginia…the aim of Mother’s Day is clear.  Mother’s Day exists simply to remind and encourage children to praise and honor their mothers.

America the Capitalistic, Oops I Meant Christian Nation

It is often argued that America is a Christian nation so if any people should know what honor means it is the people of this country, right?  I have my doubts about that affirmation but I will save that for another day and time. However, assuming that this religious declaration is correct then Americans should be able to reference the Bible for its guidance on Mother’s Day.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a religious scholar or flip through the pages of the Bible very long to find out what is expected when honoring mothers. The Fifth Commandment of the Bible which turns out to be more than just another directive or moral imperative, commands not only that we honor our mother and father but promises that if we do so our days will be long.  The law calls this quid pro quo or “this for that”.  In simple terms, if you honor your mother your life – in the words of the LG commercial – will be good.

Religious beliefs aside, it undoubtedly makes good sense that honoring those who gave you life would be good for you. However, what must not be understated or lost in religious declaration is that this moral imperative – which on the surface appears to only be about you, the individual – is really about we, society at large. The more we honor our parents, the better society will be. Let me say that one more time for the people in the cheap seats “the better we are as individuals the better society will be collectively”.

Practicing Honor

Honoring our mother’s is about respecting their teachings, following their rules, modeling our conduct based off their behavior and obeying their instructions.  Honoring our mothers is not about spending $20.7 billion as a nation. Honoring our mothers is not about an average per person spending of $168.94 per mother on “stuff” which mostly we cannot afford and that will soon be forgotten, will rust or be eaten by moths.

Honoring our mother’s requires first that we have noble and admirable mothers. Second, those of us who are fortuitous enough to have been raised by noble and admirable mothers have the ethical obligation – not simply on a commercialized holiday but each and every day – to praise and honor our mothers.

I’m Just Saying

So this Sunday save your money. Recognize that Mother’s day is every day not only the second Sunday in May. Don’t participate in Mother’s day instead compliment your mother. Find a way to let your actions and interactions bring to life those exemplary lessons and principled instructions that your mother provided.

If your mother is living, consider doing any of the following:

• Write her a letter, a poem, record a song, a YouTube video, paint her a picture, start a blog, write a blog entry or something else created by you and you alone that she can keep and reference anytime she desires.
  • Share something from her that you believe the world would be enhanced by knowing.
  • Tell her in whatever personalized form you choose something that you would want her to know if you learned that today would be your final chance to speak to her.  Because as all of those whose mothers have passed would attest, today could be your last chance.

If your mother is unfortunately no longer living, consider doing something that might have put a smile on her face:

• Write her a letter, a poem, record a song, a YouTube video, paint her a picture, start a blog, write a blog entry or something else created by you and you alone that you wish she knew and/or that you wish you had said more often.
  • Share something from her that you believe the world would be enhanced by knowing.
  • Write your children a letter telling them how much and why you love them.
  • Write your own family ten commandments. An instructional list composed of all the things that you learned from your mother that you believe should be mandates of your family. Directions that will allow any and all who share your mother’s DNA to carry on the family’s legacy with the same dignity and integrity that she did.

On Sunday, I will be putting my own advice into action. I’m going to prepare a list of commandments that I believe every parent should adhere to that I learned from my living mother and my deceased maternal grandmother. Directives that I want my son not only to live out but to share through words or deeds with any and all that he meets. That’s going to be the way I honor my mom this Mother’s Day. What about you?

Is Mother’s Day too commercialized or am I just a Grinch? What’s your most memorable Mother’s Day? While you are here check out The Mother’s Day 2014 post. If you are into adventure this post is sure to please!