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The best Mother’s Day gift

By Yan Shengnan (People's Daily Online)    09:18, May 11, 2019

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, the annual celebration of mothers’ devotion to their children and family is heating up all over the world.

Before we start celebrating, let’s take a look at how Mother’s Day first came into being.

Mother’s Day as we know it was founded in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, in tribute of her own mother not long after she passed away. In 1914, the celebration was officially recognized as a national holiday in the U.S., to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year, this year falling on May 12.

Near the end of the 20th century, Mother’s Day began to gain popularity in China. In the 21st century, the date has been widely accepted and celebrated by people in China.

When discussing their mothers, most children remember a particular saying or catchphrase their mum often said to them when they were little. It seems that most children have also had to deal with getting teased by their mothers, no matter where in the world they are from.

Some of these jokes can be quite harsh, for example, those mothers who joke that they picked up the wrong baby at the hospital, or as some Chinese netizens show, that they are actually adopted.

There were times when I couldn’t stand my mom’s jokes. I would ask her whether she was my biological mom. She would say with a confused look: “How would I know? I wasn’t home when you were born.” :)

Let’s take a look at a few other examples.

The harsh moms:

When my dad or I break a bowl, my mom would say, what’s wrong with your hands? But when she breaks the bowl, she calls it “Sui Sui Ping An”.( Everlasting Peace Year After Year!) Chinese often say this out loud immediately after something is accidentally broken in the house. The word 岁 (Suì, meaning “age”) is homophonous with 碎 (meaning “shatter”).

My mom: It’s 8! Get up! (It’s actually 7:25)

My mom:It’s 9! Get up! (FYI it’s really 8)

My mom: It’s 10! Why are you still not up! (well…9:10)

The same world, the same kind of mom.

There are those who encourage their children in different ways:

The philosopher mom:

Whatever your mom teases you about, one thing remains unchanged: she is always there for you, cares about you and will always love you.

My mom calls me into the kitchen, points to a plate and says to me: “isn’t your face as round as this plate?” Even though she teases me a lot, I know she loves me. I love her too.

With Mother’s Day becoming more widely celebrated in China, kids rack their brains for gift ideas. With a growing middle class in China, children care more about whether their moms will appreciate a certain gift instead of how much it costs.

Naturally, it is essential to take a look at what moms actually want:

Put simply, moms want a day off from their many motherly duties.

As a man, we always come home after work and lie down on the sofa, thinking about how hard a day it has been. However, we often ignore mom’s difficulties. We think it’s easy to be a mom. In fact, we may not be able to accomplish her duties, let alone do it better than her. Please express your love for your mom every day, not only on Mother’s Day.

Perhaps you have forgotten what “the second Sunday in May” is, but the festival advertisements of major brands take turns to remind you that this is mom’s exclusive day - Mother's Day. For most people, Mother's Day has become a special day to express love for their mothers, as if it is too late or too early to do so. However, your mother's love has never been a matter of time or place.

As Leonardo DiCaprio once said, “My mother is a walking miracle.” Mother’s Day, therefore, gives us a chance to thank her for her devotion over the years, admire her contribution, and say you love her. Seize the day and enjoy some time with your mom.

To help give your mom the perfect Mother’s Day this year, try to give her your time, as she has done for you. Here are some gift ideas:

Cook for her

Help with household chores

Make a postcard and tell her how you feel

Buy her a necklace/ a silk scarf/a bottle of perfume/some flowers

Organize a trip for the both of you

If you are too busy to be there in person, remember to send a card or give her a call

Let us know in the comments below how you plan to celebrate Mother’s Day this year! 

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)
(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)

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