Mother’s Day is celebrated on May 12th. It is a time when you show your love and appreciation for the woman who has given you life. 

How did Mother’s Day become a holiday?

Anna Javis is the woman primarily credited for launching the holiday as a national celebration.  In her mission to win this holiday’s recognition, she requested the the assistance of the press, politicians, churches, organizations, and individuals of influence such as the wealthy Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker.

John Wanamaker, who was the president of YMCA, supported Javis’ idea and promoted a gathering which took place on May 10th, 1908. After this gathering, Wanamaker finally signed a bill designating the second Sunday in May, as the legal holiday for Mother’s Day. 

Javis did all this work because she wanted to honor the life of her mother, Ann Reeves Javis, who passed away two years earlier. As of today, Mother’s Day is now celebrated all over the world.  

Why do you appreciate your mom? 

There are many reasons why we should appreciate our mothers. They will honestly do anything and everything for us to be okay. Mother’s are strong women who have given their all and we should make that known. 

Viktor Gutierrez, who’s a junior and track athlete here at South, has a lot of love and appreciation for his mom. When speaking with Viktor about his mother, you can see how much respect and love he has for her. Which can only make you think that she really is a great mom. He spoke about what he and his dad like to do on Mother’s Day to make his mom feel special. “First, before she wakes up my dad and I go get her flowers, we take her out to her favorite breakfast spot, visit her favorite stores, and in the end, we take her to her favorite restaurant.” As you can see, Viktor and his dad love to make his mom feel appreciated on a very important day when it’s all about her. He also mentioned how he appreciates her because she’s open minded and tries to understand what he’s saying. Which is a very important thing to do as everyone deserves to be heard and understood.

Brandy Cruz, who’s a freshman and also a track athlete and  wrestler here at South, expresses how much she genuinely loves her mom. She spoke about how she and her mom like to spend Mother’s Day doing something meaningful for both of them. “We have been celebrating Mother’s Day by bringing food to the cemetery and spending the day at my sister’s grave for the past few years. The fact that we are all together gives my mom comfort. There, I spend my time consoling her.” This day for them seems so sentimental and filled with much love as they comfort each other and the remembrance of her sister. Brandy also said, “I appreciate my mom’s great heart and capacity to do anything for me, are what make me admire and appreciate her.” Her mom seems so loving and you can see that she genuinely does appreciate her mom. 

What’s your favorite memory with your mom? 

I’d say memories with someone you love dearly are the best because you can always reminisce over a happy moment with them. A moment that makes you feel all warm and at peace inside. 

Viktor shared one of his favorite memories with his mom. He went on to say, “My favorite memory with my mom was during quarantine and everyone had work but on this day she had her day off and we went out to eat and had a deep talk, it was refreshing and it felt like it connected our bond even stronger.” This shows that this moment with him and his mom meant a lot and were able to connect with each other.

Brandy brought up a meaningful memory of her and her mom. She said, “My best recollection of my mom and me was dancing together at my 15. Despite her difficulty moving quickly and staying still, for an extended period of time, she still made an attempt. I saw that it was obvious from the way she held me and looked me in the eyes, that she genuinely loves me.” This can make you really feel how Brandy’s mom loves her and will always be strong for her if it means she gets to see her happy. 

Why is it important to show your mom that you appreciate her? 

I feel that it’s a given as to why you should show your mom your love and appreciation for her but at times we do forget. We can take advantage of everything they’ve ever done, we don’t mean to but there’s still time to change that.

Viktor brought up a very good point, he said, “I think it’s important to show you appreciate your mom because we never know how long we have them for. It’s better to spend as much time as you can with them before you have regrets later on. My mom has raised, loved, and cared for me my whole life. If I can repay her in any way, I will.” This was well said and it’s all so true. We really don’t know how much time we have with them and it’s important to live day by day living in the moment and thanking them for everything they’ve done. 

Brandy shared another great thing as to why you should show your appreciation for your mom. “I think it’s critical for us children to value our mothers for a variety of reasons. Their great sacrifice for us is one of the primary causes. My mother stays up all night to check up on me if I’m sick. Every day, she places food on the table even when she herself doesn’t feel well. She always cheers me on and attends the majority of my school and sporting events. My mom is my greatest supporter. She makes me laugh when I’m feeling sad and never fails to cheer me up when I can’t.” This here shows how far her mom will go just for her to be okay and I’d say a lot of mothers are this way. No matter how tired or stressed they may be, they will pull through just for us. Brandy’s mom is a great mom! 

To sum it all up, mothers are so outstanding and basically hero’s. We can take their hard work for granted at times but it is up to us to show them that they raised us well. There’s a famous quote that says, “To be loved is to be seen,” and I think our mothers have shown us that all our lives. As they not only tell us “I love you” but they indeed always take the time to show us. From knowing our rights and wrongs, to how we are when we’re happy or sad, and most importantly what makes us who we are. We can show our love to our mothers; starting off by celebrating them on a day that’s all about them. They need to feel special and appreciated just as much as they do the same for us. Now go and show your appreciation for the women who created you.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom’s!