Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
--Howard Johnson (c. 1915)
History and Customs...
In the U.S. Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards, gifts, flowers, and
mother's rings.
First observance in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907, it is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907.
Although it wasn't celebrated in the U.S. until 1908, there were days honoring mothers even in the days of ancient Greece. In those days, however, it was Rhea, the Mother of the gods that was given honor.
Later, in the 1600's, in England there was an annual observance called "Mothering Sunday." It was celebrated during Lent, on the fourth Sunday. On Mothering Sunday, the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was traditional for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion.
In the U.S., in 1908 Ana Jarvis, from Grafton, West Virginia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death. A memorial service was held there on May 10, 1908 and in Philadelphia the following year where Jarvis moved.
Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd
Sunday of May.
Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, as in the U.S.
The youngest mother on record was Lina Medina, who delivered a 6½-pound boy by cesarean section in Lima, Peru in 1939, at the age of 5 years and 7 months.
The odds of a woman delivering twins is 1-in-33. Her odds of having triplets is approximately 1-in-539.
August is the most popular month in which to have a baby.
Kentucky has the highest percentage of women who are mothers at 67%. The national average is 57%.
About 4 million women will have babies this year.
The median age of a woman giving birth for the first time in the U.S. is 24.8.
Daughters keep in closer contact with their mothers than do sons. (Pew Research)
There are more phone calls made on Mother's Day than on any other day of the year. (Pew Research)
The number of people calling their moms on Mother's Day has declined in recent years due to e-mail and other electronic means of communication.
While nearly 80 percent of Americans will buy a card for mom this year, 83 percent of the cards will be purchased by daughters. (American Greetings)
Mother's Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday.
Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants.
Some Motherly Advice...
Always change your underwear; you never know when you'll have an accident.
Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
Be careful or you'll put your eye out.
What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes!
Close that door! Were you born in a barn?
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!
Mama Says...When A Wolf Is Chasing You, Throw Him A Biscuit But Don't Stop To Bake Him A Cake
$18.95
A chronicle of Motherly advice across continents and cultures and in between.
This is a collection of stories and sayings passed down from Mamas everywhere to their children. Each mother has a story and each mother has her own brand of wit and wisdom.
... is for the million things she gave me,
... means only that she's growing old,
... is for the tears she shed to save me,
... is for her heart of purest gold;
... is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
... means right, and right she'll always be.
In the U.S. Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards, gifts, flowers, and
Mama Says...When A Wolf Is Chasing You, Throw Him A Biscuit But Don't Stop To Bake Him A Cake
