We salute our mothers
Tomorrow, May 10, will mark Mother’s Day. It is a day set aside to honour our mothers, motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. This celebration is often done on various days in many parts of the world, usually in March or May.
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History has it that the original purpose of Mother’s Day, which was first proposed by Anna Marie Jarvis in 1907, in America, was for children to use the day to express appreciation to their mothers. She looked forward to a simple tradition in which children would write notes to their mothers, thanking them for all that they had done throughout the year. It was consequently celebrated for the first time in 1908.
Mother’s Day is said to have been declared a national holiday in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.
Churches and other institutions held different activities to mark the day. In many homes, children did different things in their own way, big or small, to show appreciation. Whatever the form it takes, the role of mothers in our society remains invaluable.
Apart from the biological role of sustaining life by producing life, mothers have been the glue that holds families together.
In many cases it has been their role to provide the loving care and support needed by growing children.
Traditionally, women are seen as wives whose roles are to cook, clean and take care of the children, with the man paying the bills.
This situation has changed as many mothers have taken on more roles, including that of paying the bills. Society has also seen an increase in mothers who are single parents and breadwinners for their families. We are at this stage because of increasing cases of men abandoning their wives because they are not ready to be fathers in the true sense of the word. Some of them are simply not committed enough or ready to be fathers, leaving mothers to fend for and train their children.
Many grownups have teary stories to tell of how their mothers sold their belongings to ensure that they remained in school or got healthcare.
The Ghanaian society abounds with women who are working single-handedly to take care of children (some of whom are not their biological children), seeing to their schooling, shelter, food and clothing, and most importantly, lovingly nurturing them without blowing their horns.
The Daily Graphic joins children to celebrate mothers because we recognise that the nurturing a mother provides is unparalleled and a vital part of a child's upbringing, and by extension, that of society.
We salute mother figures because we are proud of the vital role they play in the life of children, and because they are generally the most important role model for the child. Mothers have been the glue that have held families together because it has been up to them to provide the loving care and support needed by children.
For the very few mothers who are thinking of abandoning their children because of whatever circumstance, the Daily Graphic appeals to them to realise that a mother’s reaction can make or break her family and have dire consequences for their children.
And for fathers who have been irresponsible; we call on them to listen to the stories of commendation that will be heaped on mothers by their children tomorrow and mend their ways.
Happy Mother’s Day to our women.