Mother's Day?

Mother's Day. Has it become commercialized?

By Barbara Scott

Today, March 14th, is Mother's Day. I am not sure whether this is celebrated in The Gambia but I know it is elsewhere in the world. I am not exactly sure of its origins but what I do know is that it is a day that no son or daughter would be forgiven for if they forgot it!!

I, sadly, no longer have a Mother but being one myself I can honestly say neither of my two sons have ever let me down. It is not that I expect anything from them but of course it is nice to know that they are thinking of me. The cards or flowers are lovely to receive but most of all it is 'the thought that counts'! Whilst I was shopping in our local town yesterday it was quite astonishing to see the amount of people, both young and old, carrying bunches of (very expensive!) flowers or colorful bags full of chocolates and goodies. Even the most unlikely people like the lad I saw who was covered in tattoos, had a shaven head and looked like the sort of person who even his mother couldn't love, was striding along with a bunch of daffodils (a yellow flower synonymus with Spring), clutching the biggest Mother's Day card I had ever seen! So, has this day become as commercialized as many people think? Yes, indeed it has but it always has been. Nobody has to buy all the expensive flowers or over priced chocolates or the huge cards but most do, no matter how their mother's protest that 'they don't want anything'!

My mother used to be content with a bunch of handpicked wild flowers that my sister and I had lovingly gathered on the day during a walk with our father through the woods near our home. I can still see now the tiny bunches of primroses and violets tied with a piece of ribbon that we used to make. We didn't have the money to buy flowers from the florist but our mother's face when we presented her with these offerings was a picture of happiness. That is what the day is all about. Showing someone who has cared for you and loved you, nurtured you, wiped away your tears, put up with your tantrums and is always there for you, that you love them very much even though through most of the year you don't show it!