A small statement of fact

[nwhiker]

Well, they're going to be making chocolate chip-cherry scones, I know there are cards that have been drawn. They went hiking in the rain with me yesterday.

But can I just state that I still detest Mother's Day?

I feel so guilty about that. I don't enjoy the attention, or the whole freaking concept of it. It's so not me. I just... don't get it.

I mean, I love my kids, I love being their mother, but Mother's Day? Bzzzt!

I think part of it is that it is a day that is made to celebrate one facet of some women's identity, to the exclusion of all others. And people will be out there today, a tear in their eye, talking about mother's and mother's work and never EVER freaking mentioning that all the while we glorify this mythical mother, we cut funding for the real mothers, make it harder for them to get the help they need. We make motherhood a punishment for having sex. We refuse to acknowledge lesbian mothers as families, by not letting them get married. Mothers have fewer opportunities in the workplace, we mock them with the 'mom-' (mom-hair, mom-car, mom-whatever) construct, and contrast "regular" moms with MILFs (dear god, how I hate that), and Britain's "yummy mummies" (I hate that even more).

So yeah, Happy Mother's Day to all those of you who did it right, who are straight, and married, and wealthy enough to not need any type of government aid. Because when we say Happy Mother's Day, we mean them, not the lesbians, the poor, the single. Bah.

Motherhood is a reality for many of us, but it's not a requirement for being a woman, a contributing member of society, and I'm sorry that it seems like this is the only facet of womanhood that gets celebrated.

However... Happy Mother's Day to Everyone who wants to lay claim to the day for whatever reason, kids, cats, dogs, nieblings, whatever, whomever.

Comments

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Here's a little something to distract you from Mother's Day:



Another and a bunch more.

[nwhiker.livejournal.com]

Oh, Maia, those are glorious! Beautiful photos, and that one above is going up there with my other fave of yours, the purple pansies!

[secretburning.livejournal.com]

Posts like this are what I love about you. Truly.

(My main Mother's Day beef? People calling me/sending me cards when I'm not their mother. The only people who should -- and don't have to, of course -- acknowledge me are the children to whom I am a mother. Getting a gift from my mother and a *sigh* phone call from my SIL? That's dumb.)

[camelsamba.livejournal.com]

This past week's volunteering took me to Ypsilanti, and I noticed a couple different churches whose signs announced they would be celebrating "Women's Day" this coming Sunday! One of them was the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, I didn't notice the other one. But it made me think of your post. :^)