Whether Warm And Wonderful, Wacky or Wanton, Remember Mom This Sunday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER'S DAY! The holiday as we celebrate it turns 100 on May 10th, according to Wikipedia.
It was on May 10, 1908 that Anna Jarvis honored the life of her mother, Ann, in a celebration at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The church is now officially designated as the "International Mother's Day Shrine."
The practice quickly spread across the nation, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day to honor the mothers of sons who had died at war. Eventually, the holiday was so overtaken by rampant commercialism that Anna Jarvis became an outspoken opponent of it."A printed card means nothing,'' she purportedly once said, "except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment!"
A hundred years later, Mother's Day remains a boon to businesses, especially chocolatiers and greeting card companies. According to Wikipedia, "Americans will spend approximately $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts — like spa treatments — and another $68 million on greeting cards [2]. Mother's Day will generate about 7.8% of the US jewelry industry's annual revenue in 2008. Americans are expected to spend close to $3.51 billion in 2008 on dining out for Mother's Day."
And all because of mom, that person whom, if you were born lucky, made you feel as though you were one-in-a-billion special. Who changed your nappies, took your temperature, cheered you at your sports meets and warned you away from bad boys. And that's just for starters.
Alas, not everyone is born so lucky. And for those of you for whom mom means 'mean' or 'crazy' or 'irresponsible' or just plain pathetic, well, I am sorry. But you too have Mom to thank for what you have become! My own mom was as nuts as a box of almonds, but I loved her. And she loved me, I think. And remember: God loves everybody! So cheer up, and embrace your story.
In honor of the holiday, here's a few web spots to check out with mom in mind.
Postcards From Yo Momma -- When you're hot, you're hot. And the two twentysomething founders of this brand new baby (launched in March!) are scorching! Doree Shafrir and Jessica Grose, both New York City journalists, have already landed a story in Newsweek and a book deal. The concept is brilliantly simple: the site is essentially a virtual bulletin board of emails people have gotten from their moms. There's no topic off-limit: moms have written to exclaim joy at insurance companies covering the expense of the vaccine against the human papilloma virus that contributes to cervical cancer (and is associated with sex), to recommending dental dams as mouth condoms.
Your Mom Jokes on BuzzFeed -- Links to four irreverent twists on the punchline that can get your ass kicked faster than a 12-pack on Friday night: "Your momma." Proof that sentimentality is for squares. (Which obviously includes Crabby!)
FTD.com -- Because it's never too late to follow the crowd. And, remember, spending will help reinvigorate the sagging economy!
5 Minutes For Mom -- This site brags that it's "Bringing Moms the The Best in Blogging, Shopping, Parenting and Entertaining." We'll let you decide if it lives up to its billing. Still, it's nice to know you're part of a niche!
Mom's Buzz -- Gift mom with her own blog! Mom's Buzz is part of something called the "MomsNetwork.com Online Community of sites." Offers free blogs to moms! Your mom just might bite, especially if she's an now empty nester who needs to email her children to keep in touch.
My Chaos, My Bliss -- A real live blogging mommy; not just adventurous capitalist trying to get rich off the ginormous pyramid scheme that is the web.
The Mom Salon -- Here's a map on Frappr ("the Web's best community mapper") of bloggers who are members of TheMomSalon.com, a sort of Myspace for moms. Help mom make a new friend!
And, finally, for those whom through no fault of their own do not have a mom they want to celebrate, Crabby recommends church on Sunday morning and renting Mommy Dearest to remind you that 1) You are not alone; and or 2) Things could be worse.
Happy Mother's Day! And think of Crabby enjoying her chocolates!
Posted May 9, 2008
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