Changes

==="Mothering Sunday"===

==="Mothering Sunday"===

Mother's Day may be related to ''Mothering Sunday,'' celebrated in England on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The term did not originally refer to motherhood. On Mothering Sunday, English Catholics instead of attending services in the local parish church, were supposed to travel to their "Mother Church," i.e. the cathedral of the diocese. Later, it became an occasion for children to visit their parents.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/motheringsunday_1.shtml Mothering Sunday], BBC</ref> An 1854 source says the change occurred at the time of the Reformation. It mentions a couplet:

Mother's Day may be related to ''Mothering Sunday,'' celebrated in England on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The term did not originally refer to motherhood. On Mothering Sunday, English Catholics instead of attending services in the local parish church, were supposed to travel to their "Mother Church," i.e. the cathedral of the diocese. Later, it became an occasion for children to visit their parents.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/motheringsunday_1.shtml Mothering Sunday], BBC</ref> An 1854 source says the change occurred at the time of the Reformation. It mentions a couplet:

:On ''Mothering Sunday,'' above all other

:On ''Mothering Sunday,'' above all other

:Every child should dine with its mother.<ref>Baker, Anne Elizabeth (1854), ''Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases," J. R. Smith, [https://books.google.com/books?id=_Fstx92Z5tcC&pg=PA33&as_brr=1#PPA33,M1 p. 33]</ref>

:Every child should dine with its mother.<ref>Baker, Anne Elizabeth (1854), ''Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases," J. R. Smith, [https://books.google.com/books?id=_Fstx92Z5tcC&pg=PA33&as_brr=1#PPA33,M1 p. 33]</ref>

But Jarvis herself supported women's suffrage, and some of her own statements had at least a tinge of feminism:

But Jarvis herself supported women's suffrage, and some of her own statements had at least a tinge of feminism:

:Washington's Birthday is for the "Father of our Country;" Memorial Day for our "Heroic Fathers;" 4th of July for "Patriot Fathers;" Labor Day for "Laboring Fathers;" Thanksgiving day for "Pilgrim Father[s];" and even New Years Day is for "Old Father Time."<ref name=quotes/>

:Washington's Birthday is for the "Father of our Country;" Memorial Day for our "Heroic Fathers;" 4th of July for "Patriot Fathers;" Labor Day for "Laboring Fathers;" Thanksgiving day for "Pilgrim Father[s];" and even New Years Day is for "Old Father Time."<ref name=quotes/>

In recent years, there have been rare incidents of schools deciding to discontinue Mother's Day observances on the grounds that it is an uncomfortable occasion for children living without a mother. In 2001, the Rodeph Shalom Day School in New York announced that Mother's Day and Father's Day would not be celebrated, in part because "...families in our society are now diverse and varied.... the recognition of these holidays in a social setting may not be a positive experience for all children.".<ref>Goldberg, Jonah (2001), [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTkwZjdiZGI0YTBhYzVlMDY2M2IxNGM2MGQwNGIxNmI= My School Bans Mother’s Day]. National Review Online, May 8, 2001.</ref> A mother at the school, who supported the policy, said that (contrary to a newspaper report), it did not seem likely that the impetus for the policy had come from gay parents.<ref>"Bulletin Board, School Skips Mother's Day," ''The New York Times,'' May 9, 2001, p. B9</ref> In 2007, a primary school in Wales banned the making of Mother's Day cards in class on the grounds of sensitivity. A spokesperson for the Mothers’ Union responded that they thought the school should, instead, encourage each child "to make a card which thanks the person in their lives who does that mothering. That could be a dad, auntie, carer, foster mum or grandparent."<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=434754&in_page_id=1770 School bans Mother's Day cards]. "The move has angered parents at the 357-pupil Johnstown Primary School in Carmarthen, West Wales."</ref>

In recent years, there have been rare incidents of schools deciding to discontinue Mother's Day observances on the grounds that it is an uncomfortable occasion for children living without a mother. In 2001, the Rodeph Shalom Day School in New York announced that Mother's Day and Father's Day would not be celebrated, in part because "...families in our society are now diverse and varied.... the recognition of these holidays in a social setting may not be a positive experience for all children.".<ref>Goldberg, Jonah (2001), [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTkwZjdiZGI0YTBhYzVlMDY2M2IxNGM2MGQwNGIxNmI= My School Bans Mother’s Day]. National Review Online, May 8, 2001.</ref> A mother at the school, who supported the policy, said that (contrary to a newspaper report), it did not seem likely that the impetus for the policy had come from gay parents.<ref>"Bulletin Board, School Skips Mother's Day," ''The New York Times,'' May 9, 2001, p. B9</ref> In 2007, a primary school in Wales banned the making of Mother's Day cards in class on the grounds of sensitivity. A spokesperson for the Mothers’ Union responded that they thought the school should, instead, encourage each child "to make a card which thanks the person in their lives who does that mothering. That could be a dad, auntie, carer, foster mum or grandparent."<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=434754&in_page_id=1770 School bans Mother's Day cards]. "The move has angered parents at the 357-pupil Johnstown Primary School in Carmarthen, West Wales."</ref>

==Notes and references==

==Notes and references==