In the mid-sixties I was the leader of Kari’s Brownie Scout Troupe, where I’d plan either outings or projects, especially for holiday gift giving. The attention span and fine motor skills of seven or eight-year-old girls is limited, so I had to plan projects with those qualities in mind.
One year, preparing for Mother’s Day, we made each mother a pin cushion by filling a jar to the very top with sand, replacing the metal cover with fabric, securing the fabric to the jar with a heavy-duty rubber band, and then covering the band with ribbon. We added stickpins so the moms would immediately know what they were unwrapping.
All but one of the girls seemed excited about the project – all but Susan. She explained her mother wouldn’t like the gift because she only likes presents if they come from a store.
Now, where are little kids expected to have money to shop for a gift, or for that matter, get to a store? And what kind of parent would express such a desire to their child?
I know what effect the event had on me – I came to detest Mother’s Day. I swear Hallmark Cards and companies like them invented Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Secretary’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, oh the list is endless.
Don’t you find it disgusting to go into a store the day after Christmas to find Valentine’s Day and all its trappings in full display? And the day after Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s, then Easter, etc.?
So, my children have grown up knowing their mother does not care to be acknowledged on Mother’s Day – their mother has informed them that “every day is Mother’s Day,” that their mother wants their “I love you’s” every day.
And that is exactly what has happened in our family. My own personal revolution, and I’m proud of it!
