Happy Mother's Day to all women who committ unselfishly their time, talents and treasure in providing maternal services to children and adults!! This applies to ALL women regardless of whether they have endured biological birthing. There are numerous women who are not "biological mothers" yet have stepped in and functioned as surrogate mothers. I salute these Mothers as well!! Now that I think about it let me propose that we begin to start the process of extricating the concept of "single mothers" from our cultural lexicon. I understand its contemporary usage but I believe it is associated with disturbing connotations. For me at least, this concept is culturally divisive since it connotes that the custodial parent who is legally responsible for the care, nurturing and welfare of a child is performing these duties without any assistance or support from either the other parent or a network of family and friends. I know of no situation where a custodial parent has excelled in those duties independent of someone's help. An African proverb states- "It takes a village to raise a child". If we accept the moral premise of this wise saying why do we insist on using the dysfunctional term, single? Given this anthropological fact, I suggest many if not most women are just that, mothers. Politically correct qualifiers like "single" are morally unnecessary. QED

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2003

Answers

Brother Bill thanks for the mother's day greeting. And by the way the national american mother's day holiday came about by a Methodist woman named Anna Jarvis who wanted to continue the work of her mother who also had the same name. Mother Jarvis believed Mothers should be lifted up and the first mother's day celebration was held in a Methodist's Church in 1907. Anna Jarvis promised her dying mother that she would not rest until there was a national holiday, she sent letters out across america to get support and it took years. It was not until a philanthropist in Philly came on board that people took her seriously. The first time it came before congress it was voted down, the second time President Wilson signed it into law. Anna Jarvis lived to be 89 and was deeply troubled by the commercialization of the holidsy for she saw it as a christian holiday to honor mothers. Anna Jarvis passed out white carnation to every mother in the church to symbolize her mother was dead and pink meant rhe person's mother was alive.

I would like to address the issue of Single Mother's, I have been a single mother all of my daughter's life. The only family we have is each other. Yes it takes a village to raise a child but for many single moms they do not have that. They are working full time, raising child/children etc. Trying to be both mother and father. My daughter is my joy, my world and my sunshine, she is the greatest gift that God has given me after his son. It is important to acknowledge the hard work of single mothers. I look back and I thank God for his supernatural strength, for it is the only way I was able to do it. it is a lonely road being a single mom and not every single mother has the support of family. My daughter is 26 and I am still a single mom and it is a title I am very proud of us. Happy mother's day to all mother's and to the single mom's you are doing a great job! God will give you his strength.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2003