A Boulder Camera editorial by Juliana Forbes, co-founder of a group called “Mothers Acting Up” (MAU), has reminded me of the origins of Mother’s Day.
It was Julia Ward Howe’s idea, right at the end of the devastating American Civil War in 1870. Why couldn’t mothers band together to “interfere” in matters such as war, when it is mothers who understand best the terrible waste of human life represented by these conflicts?
It is true – Mother’s Day was not invented by Hallmark Card, but by a mother who wanted to make a difference. MAU urges all mothers (and others) to “reclaim Mother’s Day.”
My own Mom acted up in her own way from time to time. She was a 5th grade teacher in rural Indiana at a school with mostly female teachers, a male supervisor and a school board run by men (surprise) in the 50s, 60s and 70s. And guess what, sometimes she had to argue for the right thing for teachers, kids and the school, risking her job. Sometimes there were kids living on the back country roads in dire circumstances, without the basics of cleanliness or food. Classes were overcrowded, and there were few services to help kids at risk with mental illness or family challenges. Once we took in a little girl for a few weeks while her own mom was in jail. The little girl slept in my room each night, and I would get up and get Mom who would come in to give hugs and comfort.
My mom was a pleasant woman with a dry sense of humor who rarely engaged in open conflict, and yet she had a way of getting you to do what she wanted a lot of the time. As a grandmother when I had my first baby, she was there with Mark and me all through l
abor and childbirth, offering no advice unless asked first, just adding her quiet strength and comfort.
Here she is in the hospital room holding Shannon right after he was born--if she looks a little tired it is probably because it was around 1 in the afternoon, and she had been up since 3 am the night before. Mom's been gone for nearly 9 years now, but to this day she is an inspiration to me.
Happy Mother's Day.
It was Julia Ward Howe’s idea, right at the end of the devastating American Civil War in 1870. Why couldn’t mothers band together to “interfere” in matters such as war, when it is mothers who understand best the terrible waste of human life represented by these conflicts?
It is true – Mother’s Day was not invented by Hallmark Card, but by a mother who wanted to make a difference. MAU urges all mothers (and others) to “reclaim Mother’s Day.”
My own Mom acted up in her own way from time to time. She was a 5th grade teacher in rural Indiana at a school with mostly female teachers, a male supervisor and a school board run by men (surprise) in the 50s, 60s and 70s. And guess what, sometimes she had to argue for the right thing for teachers, kids and the school, risking her job. Sometimes there were kids living on the back country roads in dire circumstances, without the basics of cleanliness or food. Classes were overcrowded, and there were few services to help kids at risk with mental illness or family challenges. Once we took in a little girl for a few weeks while her own mom was in jail. The little girl slept in my room each night, and I would get up and get Mom who would come in to give hugs and comfort.
My mom was a pleasant woman with a dry sense of humor who rarely engaged in open conflict, and yet she had a way of getting you to do what she wanted a lot of the time. As a grandmother when I had my first baby, she was there with Mark and me all through l
abor and childbirth, offering no advice unless asked first, just adding her quiet strength and comfort.Here she is in the hospital room holding Shannon right after he was born--if she looks a little tired it is probably because it was around 1 in the afternoon, and she had been up since 3 am the night before. Mom's been gone for nearly 9 years now, but to this day she is an inspiration to me.
Happy Mother's Day.
1 comment:
WOW! She looks so much like you.
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