Holidays

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Holidays like Valentine's Day really grate on my nerves? Why? Because I find them discriminatory - why is there no day to celebrate single people? Furthermore, why should couples need an excuse to shower each other with affection?

But if that holiday offends me, it's nothing compared to holidays that celebrate relatives that not everyone has. If Valentine's Day is a punch in the gut to the newly-single, the holiday I speak of below is a knife in the heart.

"Mother's Day... without a mother?"

Perhaps I have no place writing under this title - both of my parents are still alive and well (thank goodness). Hopefully though, I can still voice my opinion on the subject without causing any offence.

I think throughout my whole life, by coincidence, I've had at least one friend whose parent had died. This is probably why, despite it not being a personal issue for me, I have a problem with such celebrations. I have always maintained that a mother should already be appreciated anyway - you shouldn't need an excuse or a "special day" to express your gratitude and thank her for all she's done for you. I would rather someone thanked me out of the blue, than waited until everyone else was doing it. But when you factor in the fact that there are many people that don't have mothers, the celebration seems cold and insensitive.

Mother's Day is inescapable in our culture. Leading up to it, the stores promote it, urging you to come and buy their Mother's Day CD that is compiled of cliched tracks they're convinced your mother will personally love. In schools, there is inevitably a flurry of Mother's Day activity (usually in Art class) as the teacher encourages children to make a card, maybe a little gift to go with it.

Somewhere among the flurry of activity in the classroom is one who remains quiet. She doesn't share her classmates' enthusiasm in sprinkling glitter on a card shaped like the word "Mum" Because she doesn't have anyone to give the card to. My friend at school told me the activities every year were like a knife in her gut. What was she supposed to do while everyone else worked diligently on their projects?

I would imagine that losing a loved-one hurts more than words can describe, especially a parent who'd nurtured and cared for you since before you were born. Because of this, I cannot comprehend why our society would perpetuate celebrations of something which only serves to emphasise some people's pain.

Article Published: Friday 25th May 2007