Two evenings ago, I came across
THIS ARTICLE about one particular famous model who has joined up with various other "celebrities" and are essentially encouraging woman everywhere to boycott Mother's Day. The sad, undeniable, fact is that on Mother's day alone, 1000 woman in the world will die due to complications related to child birth. It is these advocate's hope that by getting Mother's all around the world to "disappear" on Mother's Day, rather then celebrate it, that people all around the world will feel of their absence and the awareness will some how equate into lower mortality rates in the future. No phone calls. No celebrations. No presents. And most importantly ... no
presence. Women are being encouraged to just simply "disappear." They finish the video clip by stating that, "Our silence will speak the loudest for all Mothers."
Say what....?
I read the article and watched the short video clip explaining this movement and grew increasingly upset about it, which is kinda weird, because I rarely let things I read online bother me. (I mean, let's face it, most of it is probably absolute rubbish anyways.) Perhaps this struck a nerve with me because I
already get annoyed each year when Mother's Day rolls around and I hear people complain that it is nothing but a "Hallmark Holiday" or that it is just an excuse for "good moms to brag about how good they are, and for the rest of us to feel guilty about it." Those comments ALWAYS annoy me, and leave a bit of a sour note on what really could be a well intentioned day in which we celebrate the woman who have shaped our lives. Perhaps it is the fact that this article was just another notch against my insistence that "Mother's Day really is an important holiday to celebrate" that bothered me so much.
Really though, I think what really made me most sad about this article is that 70,000 woman had already read it before me, and many of them possibly actually bought into the sentiment that "our
silence would make the most difference."
Is that what we as woman really think of ourselves? That by essentially secluding ourselves in one giant conglomerate act of the "silent treatment" towards our family, our loved ones,
and the plights of this world, that we will somehow be able to invoke change and make a difference? Do we really think that the best way for us to raise awareness - is to say
nothing at all? Do
nothing?
Wow. Well, we've really come a long way.
I'm not knocking the
cause in which these woman are advocating for, but rather their method. The sad truth is, there
absolutely is a problem in the world today. In fact, there are probably nothing short of
a billion problems in the world today! What are we going to do? Withdraw ourselves and "disappear" in "honor" of every single one?
Just how exactly is "forcing the world to notice our absence" going to do anything good for anybody? Surely there is a better way of raising awareness to an issue, then "disappearing" no? Oh I don't know, how about, for example,
"forcing the world to notice our PRESENCE!"
Call me stupid, but if I were a world famous celebrity (I know the universe just started laughing right now at the thought of it;) but basically if I had a lot of clout and knew that people would listen to me- this is what I would say:
This Mother's day - to "honor" those woman all over the world suffering and hurting and going through hard things - I am going to do EVERYTHING BUT DISAPPEAR!
This Mother's Day- I am going to make sure that I STAND UP. And STAND OUT! This Mother's Day, I am not going to sulk away and cower in some lonely self induced state of solitude, but rather I am going to do everything I can to show the world just why exactly the WORLD NEEDS WOMAN! Why the world needs MOTHERS!
In short, if I were to start my own movement, it would be to "boycott those who want to boycott Mother's Day," and to instead encourage everyone to celebrate this Mother's Day by doing any (or all;) of the the following possible suggestions:
* If you can, call your Mother
* Tell your children specific reasons WHY you love being their mom
* Find someone who doesn't have a mother and give them a hug
* Find someone who isn't yet, or can't be a Mother and compliment them on the things that make them great
* Accept that you may not be a perfect Mother and then get over it.
* Accept that your Mother may not be perfect
* Visit a woman who may be alone on Mother's Day
*Forgive yourself, or forgive someone else
* Go the entire day without comparing yourself to a single other woman
* Phone, text, email as many woman as you can and thank them for being in your life
* Make your husband make supper. And then ask him to give you a foot rub;)
* Contact that Mother you know who is raising her kids on her own and commend her for the amazing job she is doing.
* Write a thank you note for that woman who has always been an example to you
* Recognize that every Mother, "Mothers" differently and appreciate the difference in us all.
*
Pick some flowers and deliver them to people. (Woman specifically;)
*Shout it from the rooftops for all the world to hear that you a) Have a Mother you love, b) Love being a Mother or c) Are grateful for a Mother in your life! (but not really from your rooftop;)
Those are just a few suggestions about how Mother's Day this year could go down. But then again, I guess we could all just "disappear" as well. That would be good to. (barf!)
HAPPY MOTHER'S Day to you all this weekend, and THANK YOU to the woman in my life who have chosen to NEVER DISAPPEAR but rather to look at this life with all it's ugliness and to make it BEAUTIFUL just the same!
