Ode to my Mother

I write this to you not only to officially register an apology to my mother but to remind you all of one of the most important dates in the 2011 calendar – 3rd April. Mothers Day.



I didn’t actually know why we celebrate the day. Of course it’s to say thanks to our mums but I was interested to learn about the origins of the day. As I’ve advocated previously, if in doubt do some research on the old internet.


Apparently a day to worship mothers, namely the god of mothers, comes from ancient Greece. I’m not surprised – the ancient Greeks knew how to worship. In my book the Greek gods are up there with Norse ones. The Romans also celebrated the god Juno every year and on that day it was traditional to give mothers a gift, so no doubt the Roman tradition added to our modern celebration.


From what I can understand, we celebrate the day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, so an ancient tradition has been combined with modern religion. Take a look on Wikipedia and it’ll even tell you why it's traditional to get your mum flowers. Turns out wilting flowers from the garage is not just a last minute safe bet after all.


So my questions are: what’s a good gift to get your mum and should you make an appearance on the day? I guess the answers are dependent on the particular mother and family dynamic. There are some kids no doubt who treat the day like their mother’s second birthday of the year. Well if the Queen can have two celebrations every year why can’t our mums? On the other hands I know of some mothers who don’t want any fuss, certainly in this age of commercialisation. So maybe it’s not a question of do you/don’t you celebrate the day, but rather how you celebrate it.


First off let’s consider the gift. I’ve already mentioned that flowers are traditional and I don’t think you can go wrong with them. As long as your mum doesn’t suffer from flower allergies. It makes sense as a gift what with the feeling of spring in the air. I’d also say it’s no bad thing to take your time choosing which ones to buy and get a bit creative.


But is there anything else you should get? Possibly. However in my opinion don’t fall foul of the commercial trappings – CDs, DVDs toiletries etc are all fair and good (as long as they aren’t Mother Day compilations, which are, lets face it, tacky). But is that what the day is really about?


The next big question is how to celebrate the day. We don’t have a standard approach in my family: sometimes we take my mum out for lunch and sometimes (and this looks bad just writing it) we go for Sunday lunch at mums and she cooks for us all. In my defence she says she enjoys it. Her reason being that now we’be all flown the nest, it’s a rare opportunity for her to mother us and feed us… Nah, I think we need to take her out in future. But I’ve met mothers who are much more “clucky” than my mum who really would prefer to host her family than sit at a restaurant table. My grandmother was definitely one of these women.


So now I should probably make my apology. I’m sure having written an article on tips for Mothers Day it makes this admission all the worse: I won’t be coming home this Mothers Day. My work in Liverpool has meant I am not available to visit but I know I will be leaving her in the loving, capable hands of my brother, who no doubt will remind her all day of his undying loyalty and the slackness of his kid brother.


However I can declare that the prodigal son will make amends. After all why should we celebrate Mothering Sunday on the 4th Sunday of Lent? After all, apart from Pancake Day I don’t pay any attention to Lent. So I hereby ask my mother’s forgiveness and request her presence on Sunday 10th April for a slap up meal on me!

Have fun this weekend and look after your mums!


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