Did you know that Julia Ward Howe also wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic? Women of that era who suffered through the Civil War, knew just as we do today that matters of war and peace are never simple. It's easy to read the Mother's Day Proclamation and think of it as a naive sentiment, but really looking back at Julia Ward Howe's life, I think she and her contemporaries well knew just how much they were asking.
Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers Who Talk, and to all the other moms out there.
I realize that this is the third year in a row that I've posted Julia Ward Howe's beautiful Mother's Day Proclamation. Well, there's still a war going on, so why stop now?
You may already know this, but I'll repeat it anyway: This is not a Hallmark holiday. It's an activist holiday, founded by women who had lost sons in the civil war.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
Growing up, Mother's Day was always about doting on my maternal grandmother. She wanted her brunch, or at the very least, a nice handmade Mother's Day card. My mother would always claim that she didn't care about the holiday, personally, we just needed to keep my grandmother happy.
To some extent, I share my mother's nonchalance about the holiday. (Perhaps to be totally fair, I would better describe my feelings as "Stupid over-commercialized holiday that can't possibly compensate for all societal gender inequity in one day but YOU'D BETTER GET ME SOMETHING NICE OR ELSE.") After all, while my life is not without its irritations, overall, it's pretty sweet right now. I get to work part time, my husband is an involved parent, and our sweet girl gives us lots of hugs and lets me know every day that she enjoys my company. One day of brunch and flowers is neither going to top that nor adequately compensate for 20 months of not quite enough sleep...
This is not a Hallmark holiday! It is an anti-war holiday, founded by women who had lost sons in the civil war. Their hope was that there would come a time when we would all teach our children to hold other human beings in too high of a regard to kill them. I'm short on time, but Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation is very inspiring.
We're thinking of naming #2 Julia if it's a girl (we find out Thursday!), but we're worried it might be too common. What do you all think? Any Julias out there?
Well, I found out Friday that the written part of my comps that I thought I had until mid or late June to due is actually due May 23, so I'm off!
From the moment a child is born, you are forced to put your own needs (primarily sleep, in the beginning) on hold. You immediately begin the task of balancing long-term and short-term goals, weighing, for example, the need to bring income in for the growing family against the commitment to spend time with your child, or your own requirement down the road a bit for rehabilitative solitude against the constant chatter of a toddler just discovering language. You learn to gauge your limits of self-sacrifice, the places where diminishing returns set in, where you’re being a plain old mean person because you’ve embraced the role of persecuted-by-sippy-cup-wielding-beings martyr. You learn to give more of yourself than you ever imagined yourself capable of giving, but if you want to bring your child to adulthood without you doing a stint or two in an asylum, you also learn to say, "No." Quite often, in fact.
This is so true. Yesterday we had guests over and I found myself repeating that even though Eli -- she is five weeks old now! -- sleeps only two hours at a time in the middle of the night between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. -- and is up for good afterwards, I know this is short-lived and so worth it. And despite a couple of health "issues," including my first bout of mastitis (breast infection) -- ouch! -- ever, I feel GREAT today. I am the proud mama of two beautiful children who have changed me for the better. Like Susan said, I have learned that I have more patience and energy than I ever thought. I have become a queen at multitasking and making tough decisions under a minimal amount of sleep. And my love and compassion have multiplied.
So tell me, fellow MotherTalkers: What have you learned from being a parent? What are your loved ones doing for you today?? Happy Mother's Day all!
I don't usually get a Mother's Day gift. We are far too pragmatic at my house -- I am happy with a card and don't really need anything other than perhaps a stack of flapjacks at my favorite diner.
Having preschool teachers who make sure your son brings home two handmade flowerpots for Mother’s Day?
