Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Barbara Marshall on the "cult of Momism" and why she hates Mother's Day

Barbara Marshall has this in The Palm Beach Post today, in the digital edition. Find out at the end of the article this "originally ran on May 6, 2010." Apparently her view of Mother's Day hasn't changed much; she republished the piece again this year:
     I love my kids — they are my heart, my life — but I hate Mother’s Day.
     There, I’ve said it and it feels… good. Cathartic.
     And a bit traitorous.
     In the American cult of Momism, we’re all supposed to feign delight at being hoisted on a pedestal for a day this Sunday and showered with corporate-sponsored symbols of our sacrificial Motherhood.
     No, thanks. Besides, none of my family or friends would ever mistake me for Saint Mom of the Immaculate Family Room.
    But the worst part of Mother’s Day is the mawkish, overheated sentimentality it revs up. All those obligatory treacly cards and cheesy “mom gifts.” For me, they’re always a bad fit, like mom jeans.
     OK, maybe mom jeans aren’t such a bad fit these days.
     But I still object to a holiday cooked up by advertisers to sell my kids a needlepoint pillow that reads “Home is where the Mom is.”
So, Barbara Marshall, why don't you tell us what you really think?