Feature

Realising the significance
of Mother's Day

Nahian Kabir

THERE'S no other person in the world that has made a greater impact on which you are today than your mother. Even if you don't have a close relationship with her as an adult, she was there during your formative years. She's the one who introduced you to your first tastes of food, cheered your efforts at crawling and walking, showed you how to use a crayon, and read you bedtime stories. She's also the one who changed your dirty diapers and introduced you to the joys of potty training.

It's mom's taste in clothing that helped you develop your own preferences. If you liked how she dressed you, her style was emulated. If you hated her choice of clothes then you rebelled and wore things she would never dream of buying. Whether you liked her taste in music or not, no self-respecting teenager would ever listen to the same music as her mom and so you discovered new music on your own.

As you watched her socialize, you learned about dealing with people and the type of individuals you liked or disliked. Like it or not, you are largely her creation.

That's why we celebrate Mother's Day. It's time to let Mom know how much we appreciate her influence in our life and give her a little mothering in return. If you are the father of young children and are reading this, it's also the day to show your wife how much you appreciate the influence she has on your children. At each stage of motherhood, a woman has different responsibilities and, consequently, different personal needs. I'll take you through a day of menus and we'll talk about the special things you can do to mother Mom at each of three stages: a mom to young children; a mom to school age kids; and a mom to adult children.

The word mother and mother's day are simple, yet powerful little words that you hear all the time especially so around the time of mother's day when everyone seems to be scrambling for ideas to say thank you, you are surely loved and you are appreciated all over again.

But if you would just take time out, you would realise that useful hints were probably being dropped all along and throughout the year. In fact, with that special day being only a few weeks away, some of your thoughts at this time can range anywhere from what you are going to do for your mother, spouse or other loved one - should it be a product gift or something more personal. If it is the product route, how can it be made more personalised? If it is the gift of time, how can it be made more personal?

Mother's Day for some will be welcomed with feelings of excitement while for others it may be a day of mixed feelings especially so if the mother you will honor has lost a child to tragedy. So that is why whenever you wish to honor someone in your own little way, you should consider where that person may be in their life. Many people say that it's the thought that counts and yes that's a very good point but so is to know a person and mother's day is no exception.

To give you some examples, consider a single mother who's been struggling to raise her children and doing it all alone in every sense of the word, what would make her day on mother's day? What about a seventy-two year old mother who has raised her children but suddenly took on the new responsibilities of raising her grand children, what would she possibly want or deserve?

Sure a bouquet of flowers or some other last minute gift would be nice and probably get you off the hook but what would that mother really want to do for that special day? Would she want to spend her day filled with family and special friends or have a day of being responsibility free? If you were in that person's shoes, which would you, hope that someone would honor you with on mother's day?

You see mother's day or any other day can be made more personal when you put some careful thought into your gift idea. What else would that mother enjoy? What has she wanted to do for a long time? What has she not gotten to experience in her lifetime? How can you really show her she is appreciated?

Even a gift that is accompanied with a carefully written letter or note with meaning can put a smile on a mother's face! Yes, I know this will not work for all moms but that's why in the article it says that YOU need to really know that person. So please just remember, it really is the thought that counts, especially when you did take some time out to put some thought into your mother's day gift.

Oh, one last thing, I invite you to help every day become a Mother's Day. By the way moms, it is ok to drop hints about how you would like to spend your special day and with hope, your spouse, partner, or other loved one will graciously honor your small request. After all, mother's day on the calendar only comes once a year.

(Student ,North South University)