You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
The Economics of Mother’s Day.
Is it a holiday or a Hallmark guilt-a-thon?
It’s a question that scholars will debate for years to come.
The common denominator of mother’s day? Everyone reading this has a momma.
The question isn’t whether we love mom, the question is whether we like all the guilt forced upon us by outside economic forces.
We all love mom. What’s not to love. She birthed us, wiped us, fed us, nurtured us.
The purists in the mother’s day debate would argue that moms need a day to be celebrated, pampered, put on a pedestal.
Put down that dish towel momma, we’re taking you out to brunch. I’m cool with that if that’s coming from the heart.
There’s no debating that the life giver deserves a little R and R.
But a holiday where it is mandatory to buy flowers, candy, cards?
Here’s my problem with the mother’s day phenomenon.
It’s economically induced. It feels forced, coerced, shady.
Mother’s Day is a cash cow of guilting everyone with a mother to go to the ATM. Talk about a target audience? If you have a mom, you are subject to the marketing mayhem.
I walked into my supermarket the other day and I was overwhelmed by the visual push to buy something for mom. It was a full court economic press.
FIVE DAYS LEFT TILL MOTHER’S DAY!
DO YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER? THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOT BUYING HER SOMETHING?
I was amazed at the gross, all up in your face capitalism before me.
So many flowers filled the front of the store you would have thought the Easter Bunny was being canonized.
There were mother’s day banners hanging from the ceiling like it was the Boston Garden. Mom: world champions 2009.
And head down the card aisle? It was a sea of pink and ribbons and frill.
So many saccharine cards with cursive writing of adoration – it was hard to see the love through the forest of hearts.
There were moms shopping for moms. There were dads shopping for moms. There were kids shopping with their moms for moms. It was a mom-a-thon.
Somewhere the Hallmark Gods were smiling a toothy grin.
When did Mother’s Day become this monster of capitalism?
As I write this I am watching ESPN.
In an effort to out-mom everyone on the sporting globe, ESPN has NASCAR racers saying hello to mom. They show a montage of every NFL player who has ever scored a touchdown, rip off his helmet and scream “Hi Mom!”
Even the supers under the names of the anchors include their mother’s names. Really?
Now they are showing a segment on famous moms who have won tennis matches and volley ball games and swimming races.
I love ya mom. And yes, I did send my mom a card with frills and sentimental mush. I’m just saying.
I love mom. I’m just not sure I feel good about a day that tries to guilt me into loving mom even more, coercing me to purchase something, everything, anything.
Father’s Day is coming.
I’ll be lucky to get a spatula for my grill.
Go Figure. The power of mom.
Life’s Crazy™