Happy Mother’s Day. And don’t you dare say anything else.
Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere.
Please remember, mothers, that there’s an apostrophe in Mother’s Day, meaning it’s your day. Don’t let anyone else’s expectations interfere with your desire to do whatever the hell you want today.
It’s your day, damn it.
Also, let’s celebrate it.
A friend and mother recently tweeted:
“Ok! All set on articles trying to make me feel bad about looking forward to Mother’s Day! Quota filled!”
She is, of course, referencing the annual inundation of pieces complaining about Mother’s Day for a variety of reasons, ranging from its commercialization to the shift from its historical origins to its “awkward sappiness” and sentimentality.
There are complaints from “child-free women” who view Mother’s Day as an indictment of their decision not to have children. There are people who have lost their mothers or lost children who complain that Mother’s Day is a difficult reminder of their loss. There are women who oppose Mother’s Day on feminist grounds. There are people who deride Mother’s Day as a “Hallmark Holiday” (which it’s not).
To all of these people, I have two words for you:
Shut up.
If you find yourself opposing Mother’s Day for any reason this year, please heed this advice:
Every thing is not a thing.
If your plan is to spend the day explaining how the origins of Mother’s Day have been twisted and perverted so badly that its original founder actually opposed the holiday in its present form and tried to have it rescinded, SHUT UP. There have been a million zillion articles already written about Anna Jarvis and her issues with Mother’s Day, and there is a fairly extensive Wikipedia page about Jarvis, her mother, and the history of Mother’s Day as well.
We got it.
If your plan is to complain about the billions of dollars spent on Mother’s Day, please stop saying boring things. We are consumers, too. We see the displays in stores. We hear the commercials on television. We spend the money, too.
We got it.
Whatever your reason for complaint, please do us all a favor and silence yourself today. The vast majority of us don’t want to hear it. Today is a day that we honor all of the sacrifices that mothers make in order to ensure that their children live safe, productive, happy lives, regardless of the history of the holiday or personal circumstances or the needs of feminism.
Even someone like me, who lost his mother far too early in life and struggles at times through Mother’s Day, recognizes the value of Mother’s Day.
Before you decide to raise your hackles and start complaining about Mother’s Day or anything else. please say this to yourself:
Every thing is not a thing.
Mother’s Day is not a thing. It’s not a cause or an antagonist or an issue in need of opposition.
It’s a lovely holiday spent honoring the mothers of the world.
There are far too many things deserving of your self-righteous indignation and derision.
This is not one of them.
