Are you lucky enough to be a pensioner who has a mother around to celebrate with today? It is so easy to forget what she has done for you over the years, when you wanted her to and sometimes when you didn’t but needed her to.

Most of the ladies in that position will know because they will have done similar for their children over the years (often with a lot of help and asked-for advice supplied by their own mothers).  Now that we can look back on our times as a mother or being the child of one, it is so easy to gloss over the pain involved in actually giving birth before all the other details, and forget the hardship, chaos, long hours, caring, loving, teaching, providing, protecting and other skills that were needed to do this job.  Many of our mothers also had the backdrop of the war to contend with into the bargain. 

If you are a female pensioner, by now you are most probably in the position of being a mother, as well as a daughter, not to mention a possible stepmother, adopted mother, foster mother, mother in law, grandmother, aunt, great aunt or even a great grandmother; all very important roles to fulfil.  And perhaps we should remember those older sisters, brothers, dads, uncles and complete strangers who took the role on because there was no one else.

But Mother’s day, one of the first commemorative days to have come into being, is celebrated in many different months during the year depending on which country you are marking the day in.   The US and Canada will celebrate in May while Malawi recognise a day in October and Russians leave their celebration until November.

So if you have a Mum who lives abroad don’t forget to let her know that you care about her at the nationally appropriate time.

Maureen B

LPG has found some short films to remind us of all the things that our mothers have done, and often still do for us, and also a list of the days that different countries celebrate mother’s day…

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