Mothering Sunday

In the UK, today was Mother's Day.  In the US, it doesn't happen until May.  This gives me something of a dilemma about which one to celebrate (I have floated the idea of both to my husband, but as Father's Day is the same in both countries, he wasn't having it).

Honestly, it's a fairly simple choice: I go with the UK one, because I try to keep hold of my Britishness as a general rule, what with the plan to go back there someday.  I also like the way that nobody else around me is celebrating Mother's Day today, which makes it a little more intimate.  This is something just for our family!  Less commercial too.

From my husband's point of view, it's a pain in the backside, since there are no Mother's Day cards out at this time of year (I always tell him I'm happy with a blank one).  Also, he doesn't get the benefit of a school-supplied crafted gift from the kids, so he has to arrange something himself.  Obviously, I still get the school Mother's Day craft in May, our one concession to the US celebration.

Also, we have no reminders of when it's coming.  I normally try and have a British calendar in the house to check such holidays, but this year we don't, so we're using Wikipedia. As it happened, I completely forgot this year until yesterday, when I discovered it was today.  I realised that either my husband knew and was going to surprise me, or it was too late to remind him to get me a card from the kids, so I didn't say anything.

He was much better prepared.  He'd ordered me a card from the UK, that even said 'Mummy'!  I also got an enormous hanging basket of pansies that my son had picked out.  Full points to Daddy!

Perhaps because it was on the wrong day from my perspective, Mother's Day was never something that hurt me when I was trying to conceive, but that isn't the case for many people struggling with infertility.  I can't express a sentiment better than a friend's facebook status, so I'll pass that on: "Happy mother's day to all who celebrate. For those who wish they could but can't I send a special hug."