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The History of Mother’s Day in the United States

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Many families celebrate Mother’s Day every year. Have you ever wondered how Mother’s Day got started? Who thought of it? How did it get declared a holiday? Was it always celebrated the way we celebrate it today in the United States? The official Mother’s Day holiday, as we know it today, was started by Anna Jarvis. In 1905, her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Daughter Anna Jarvis wanted there to be a way to honor the sacrifices that mothers made for their children. It took financial backing before that dream was realized. John Wanamaker was a department store owner in … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Sons to Be Better Men

In a world where playing video games is more appealing than providing for a family or going to college it is especially important to teach our sons the value of working hard and growing up. While I intend to keep my son little forever, eventually the universe is going to combine against me and make him grow up. For some men, this doesn’t mean much. They are grown up but living in a child’s world. Believe it or not the number of men playing video games between the ages of 18 and 34 surpasses those between the ages of 13 … Continue reading →

We All Have Our Reasons

I recently met a woman at the gym and we’ve become gym buddies. Last week after our Zumba class we were in the parking lot talking. She knows I’m a single mother and she confided in me that she is thinking of asking her husband for a divorce. I told her I was sorry and asked what the problem was, her answer? He drives a truck for a living and is gone most of the time, she is tired of him never being home. I took her out to coffee and we talked more. Her stance on single parenthood is … Continue reading →

Michael Jackson’s Legacy

Poor Farrah Fawcett. She was certainly a star, but her death was somewhat overshadowed by the same-day passing of a megastar – Michael Jackson. Three years later, many are remembering Jackson and wondering about his legacy. It’s sad that Jackson passed away just as he seemed on the verge of a big comeback. His career was waning, although some would kill for such “waning” success. He wasn’t a hit machine like he had been in the ‘80s and scandals had tarnished the once glowing crown of the self-proclaimed “King of Pop.” But, he was preparing hard for his best yet … Continue reading →

Something To Look Forward To

Being a mom isn’t easy, doing it alone is even harder. With the countless things we have to do each day, it’s a wonder any of us have survived as long as we have. Just as one thing is completed another thing is added to the list and the cycle continues on and on and on. You rarely get a break and when you do you spend it feeling guilty for all of the other things you should be doing while you are taking these few moments to breathe. As mothers we’ve all been there from time to time; some … Continue reading →

Airlines Making it Harder for Families to Fly

Why do some people insist on making life harder for others? Lack of humility, selfishness, greed, egotism, arrogance? All of the above? Is it really asking too much for the folks that run commercial airlines to allow families to sit together on a flight without charging them extra for the “privilege?” The insanity behind the steep fees has even prompted lawmakers to get involved. Last week, New York Senator Charles Schumer went public urging airlines to give flying families a break by eliminating fees that can add up to hundreds of dollars over original ticket prices. “Children need access to … Continue reading →

Mothers: A Sorority of Complainers?

(Sweeter than a Dyson.) You are looking at one of the lovely Mother’s Day gifts I was presented with yesterday by my adorable daughter. As you can tell, it can’t be used to suck up strewn Cheerios from hardwood or carpeted floors, nor can it separate dust by cyclonic action and spin it out of the airstream with the simple press of a button. Also, it doesn’t rhyme with Dyson. Regardless, I love my card, especially the handwritten note scribbled in bright pink crayon inside. It will forever help me remember Mother’s Day 2012. The holiday has come and gone … Continue reading →

Companies Cherishing Mothers

In this day of job insecurity and a bleak economic outlook, many women are postponing getting pregnant for fear that taking maternity leave will prompt their employers to give them the heave-ho. Technically, a company could be sued if it terminated a female employee simply because she got pregnant and used maternity leave, but stranger things have happened in the workforce. Perhaps that’s why the news of a major insurance company based in Australia actively celebrating procreating female employees has captured so many headlines around the world. If you have been living under a rock, you may have missed the … Continue reading →

Judgy McJudgerson

Isn’t it funny the things we automatically assume? There are so many stereotypes out there that by now they are almost law. People hear something and then experience it, then it must be true. This is something that all single parents struggle with, whether they are a single mom or a single dad. As hard as I try to be nonjudgmental I know I’ve made the same judgments myself. If your ex husband is a dead beat dad then somehow that’s your fault, you must have seen it coming and how could you bring children into the world knowing the … Continue reading →

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

I think one of the most difficult things to do as a parent of a teen is watch your child have to learn things the hard way. But honestly, sometimes it is the only way for life lessons to be taught. In fact, some of the greatest lessons and opportunities for growth come through challenging times. Yet they are very painful, as I recently expressed in my blog, “What I Learned from my Child’s Pain.” It isn’t easy to convey what is in my heart without completely divulging my daughter’s personal business, so I will definitely have to tow the … Continue reading →