The celebration of Mother’s Day was supposed to be for the bonding of families with their mothers, not the business of Main and Wall Street.
Is Mother’s Day a day to honor mothers or a day for department stores, florists, card manufacturers, candy shops, and other retail entities to make a lot of money?
Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day, didn’t want big business in the Mother’s Day picture. She believed commercialism would destroy the purity and sincerity of the holiday.
Anna was one of 13 children born to Ann Reeves Jarvis. Anna knew the love, sacrifices, diligence, and care her mother poured into the family. But there was also heartbreak; only three of Anna’s siblings lived to adulthood. Anna lost her world when her mother died on the second Sunday of May in 1905, but her mother had taught her many things. Anna passionately desired to honor her mother, whom she loved and adored.
Anna learned how to organize groups, women, and mothers to support causes in the community from her mother. She was a chip off the old block when it came to creating and promoting support and solidarity. Ann Reeves Jarvis organized women’s work clubs. She created Mothers’ Friendship Day after the Civil War to bridge the divide between Union and Confederate mothers.
Anna Jarvis created Mother’s Day as a day she hoped would grow and flourish to honor and memorialize all mothers, the tie that binds homes and families. Anna advocated for a day to recognize and honor motherhood once a year. She utilized letter-writing, various campaigns, church events, and organizations to garner support for a holiday.
Her vision for a Mother’s Day is why we have and celebrate Mother’s Day. She wanted the day to be simple celebrations that included personal and private tributes to the matriarchs of families. She wanted the matriarchs to receive recognition and honor for their devotion and loving roles.
President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a permanent holiday in 1914, celebrated on the second Sunday in May.
The commercialization and shopping to spend money on gifts were not a part of Anna’s vision for Mother’s Day. She frowned upon purchasing pre-printed Mother’s Day cards that replaced writing personal, thoughtful, and meaningful notes or letters.
Anna fought against businesses profiting from Mother’s Day and vigorously tried to rescind, repeal, abolish, or abort the celebration. She distributed a petition to rescind the holiday, publicly criticized those who used Mother’s Day to bring attention to social and political issues, and took legal actions to stop the holiday.
Anna Jarvis’ baby was Mother’s Day, and her Mother’s Day grew so big that she could no longer hold or control it. Her Mother’s Day Holiday became a holiday that mothers and the commercial world would share.
We accept that mothers and businesses benefit from Mother’s Day, but this never was the case for Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day.
Happy Mother’s Day 2023!
Be well.