An Open Letter To Toxic Moms On Mother’s Day
The initial Mother's Day was organized by Anna Jarvis and was celebrated in during a West Virginia church service. Ms. Jarvis lobbied hard to make the new holiday more widely known. After some major work, a proposal made its way to Congress and they debated making Mother's Day an official national holiday. Unfortunately, it was rejected, but by 1911 every state that was part of the US at the time recognized Mother's Day in some capacity.
Mother's Day as we know it today started to develop in the 1920s as the greeting card industry began to commercialize the holiday. Mothers Day is one of the most profitable days for the selling of flowers and cards and other gifts. It also rivals Easter and Christmas as one of the attended days in church.
The ultimate purpose of Mother's Day is to celebrate and honor motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence mothers have on our society. Recognizing the contribution of good mothers is a great thing. However, this is not to whom this letter is addressed too.
Unfortunately not every mother makes it easy to celebrate, honor or recognize in any sort of positive light.
How many people today have suffered due to the actions, or inactions, of a person with toxic taits who became a parent. Whether male or female, you do not automatically earn celebration because you gave birth or life.
While some people may decide to give you the benefit of the doubt and say you were doing your best. I can assure you that you will get no such satisfaction from me. While all of God's creatures deserve love, none of us deserve praise and celebration. We all need to earn our accolades and the same applies to those of you.
If you find that you had to live with a toxic mother, it's not too late for you to do something about it. With May being National Mental Health Month, it's the perfect time to get some therapy and find ways to prevent the cycle from continuing. You don't have to wish your mother a Happy Mother's day, but it can be an opportunity for you to heal.