Here’s the official version why one must send Mother’s Day cards: Britain has a history of valuing tradition and heritage. Mother’s Day cards have been a longstanding practice, passed down through generations. The act of giving cards aligns with the continuity of cultural customs and demonstrates adherence to societal norms.
OK, that is what a social psychologist might write, but we all know the down-to-earth reason. It is this. If there is anything that is likely to make sure that Mother’s Day cards keep on being sent, it is mothers.
Who can withstand the reproach of a mother if one were not to send a Mother’s Day card?
That reproach may come, for example, in the form of a wan smile and few words of forgiveness. Or it may come with a withering glance of disdain. Whatever form it takes it is backed by a culture and history that is as solid as Blackpool rock.
The Reason To Send Mothers Day Cards
After all, how can a child fail to take the opportunity to acknowledge that motherhood is the most essential of relations? I mean really, there is nothing else like it in the whole of experience. And yet, precisely because it is so ubiquitous, we march past it. We run past and are in danger of not giving it the full regard it is due.
Mothering Sunday
Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems, including who the ‘mother’ is in the days when Mother’s Day was also called Mothering Sunday. Read this for the full story of how ‘mother’ was, in fact, the mother church – the church in domestic servant’s town or village.
That was then and this is now, and still Mother’s Day cards are written indelibly into the proper way of doing things. Why is that?
The Cow And The Calf
There is a phrase that as much as the calf likes to suckle, the cow likes to nurse. The nurturing feeling that a mother puts into that helpless mewling bundle is like nothing else, is it? And without it (Romulus and Remus aside) children would never make it to childhood and from there to self sufficiency.
Yet many mother child relationships are fraught with difficult and complex feelings. What is the right way to bring up a child? One thing is certain. If a child is not shown boundaries, he or she will grow up to be the centre of its own world. Then he or she will br unable to give true regard and value to the needs of others.
They say that we are living in the worst age of this lack of boundaries. Teachers have a difficult time trying to bring their class into an appreciation of the feeling of the other. And how can children be expected to grasp this if parents do not instil it? Society at large will not, because there are no role models. Or rather, there are many role models. And many of them thrive on no shame and no boundaries to their excesses.
What is a child to do?
Romulus and Remus
Ah yes, suckled by a she-wolf like the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. They are the twins from Roman mythology, the brothers who went on to found Rome.
Well, actually that is not quite the story. The full myth is that a usurping king thought they were a threat to his throne. So he had them abandoned by the River Tiber. They were saved by the god of the river and grew up not knowing they were in line for the throne. The whole story came out when they eventually helped the rightful king gain back his throne from the usurper.
And from there they set off to found a city themselves. Except they couldn’t agree where the new city should be built. And in the dispute Romulus or one of his followers killed Remus.
Mother’s Day Cards and the True Depth Of Motherhood
Imagine it was Romulus himself who did the deed. Can you imagine the mother who would receive a Mother’s Day card from Romulus if she knew he had killed his brother? Would she spurn him? Chances are she would be divided, but chances are also that the bond between her and her child would be so strong that she could not spurn him.
That is the depth of a mother’s love. And that is why a child must send a card to his or her mother.
Having read this far and with Flying Twigs being a greeting card company, it’s pretty obvious that we have Mother’s Day cards in our catalogue.
What To Write In Mother’s Day Cards
Having bought a card, what do you write in it?
Most of all, a little reflection will help get the pen moving. It is something that we could all do with feeling (including this writer). It is the simple fact that you are only standing there because she raised you.
With that in mind, you can go for the tried and tested, ‘wishing you the very best day ever’. You can splurge on the emotions and wish your mother a Mother’s Day that’s as wonderful as she is. And if the word wonderful doesn’t seem quite right, you could say ‘as special’ or ‘as fabulous’. Beyond that, a word of thanks never goes amiss.
You can tell her she is wonderful, that she deserves the best. You can tell her how appreciative you are that she is your mother. Tell her she is just the perfect mother to have given you exactly what you needed to help you grow. Tell her that when things were tough she was there for you, that she stood her ground and made you feel worthwhile even when you did not. Say that you are proud to be her offspring.