Annoying "special" days

[kengr]

Oh the ways society tries to enforce "proper" behavior and attitudes. And make a profit at the same time.

Apologies to those of you who had a good relationship with your mothers...



Me, it took me *decades* to decide that she wasn't trying to mess me up, but that her best guess as to the right thing to do was far too often the exact wrong thing to do with me.

And she's been dead a while anyway so...

Other such holidays:

Father's day (Never had one except in the biological sense since I was adopted by a widow)
Valentine's day: ask any single person about *that* one...

Comments

[ebonhost.livejournal.com]

I've never understood Mother/Father's day... what makes someone special just because they decided to spawn? Considering the state of the world, it'd be wiser to celebrate those who -don't- add to the world's overpopulation. :P (This is coming from someone who thinks parenthood should come with screening, and is convinced his parents would have failed, though.)

Just FTR

[morgan-gw.livejournal.com]

..the day wasn't invented by the greeting card industry (though I agree they've way commercialized it, just like any other holiday they can get their hands on).

Mother's Day was originally meant to be anti-war:

The "Mother's Day Proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe's feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.

I agree that no one is deserving of respect just because they've proven their ability to breed. But I do think it's nice to have some recognition for those who have done their best to do a good job of parenting, whether of their own bio-progeny or not. I say "done their best" because I don't believe in a "perfect" parent, just those who honestly try to do right by their charges.

Your point about what the day's become, though... I can't disagree.