Okay, everyone, the following post contains evidence of my cynical side. Reader discresion is advised.This past week leading up to Mother's Day I had an unusual amount of errands to run...you know how some weeks are just like that. This meant I had an increased opportunity to listen to the radio as, living in a rural area, every place I had to go took some time in which to travel. This also meant I had the added opportunity to listen to just about every Mother's Day advertisement created. Thank you, mass media, for insuring that no one in this country forget the holiday!
The economy is certainly suffering, and businesses of all sizes are feeling the effects. Don't get me wrong--I am all for people making money--but I just felt sick listening to the advertisements I heard last week:
"Show Mom you love her with a pair of diamond earrings."
"There will be no doubt of your love when Mom opens her gift of scented candles..."
"This Mother's Day show her you really care with a Pajamagram!"
"Mother's Day means flowers, and who better to get them from than..."
Maybe I'm alone here, but...
I don't need my family to buy me things on Mother's Day.
I don't need on this particular day of the year for my family to spend money we don't have on something I probably don't need or want. If I need something I'd rather just go buy it when I need it than wait for some pre-designated holiday to get it.
Besides, what I want can't be bought. All I want is recognition and appreciation for the work I do. And that can be done with just two words: "Thank you!"
A bouquet of flowers doesn't "cut it" (pun intended) if later that day or week or month your husband tells you, in reference to your stay-at-home-mother status, that you are lucky you don't have to "work" and can do whatever you want. Getting everyone up, dressed, out the door, and sitting for forty-five minutes in a restaurant lobby for the honor of not having to cook that morning/day/evening (i.e. one meal out of three) is just another form of work for me, not a favor.
Originally, Mother's Day was when daughters gave a gift to their mothers of something they made as a result of something their mothers taught them, such as knitting a scarf or baking a cake. The point was to show mothers the result of the mother's teaching. Think about it...when your child accomplishes something you taught them, don't you feel thrilled just in that (first) your child is doing well at something and (second) that you were able to teach them that skill? That is a wonderful and unique gift that isn't sold in stores.
I really think Mother's Day now is less about mothers than it is about obligation and consumerism--you've got a mother, so you've got to buy her something for the holiday. It has little to do with love or respect or thankfulness anymore. While we may love our mothers and our children may love us, I think the manner in which this holiday is now "celebrated" completely misses the mark.
Am I just being cynical?
