Mother's Day Then and Now

Mother's Day Then and Now

With Mother's Day around the corner, I am setting here remembering many Mother's Day, we as children, shared with our Mom.  We seldom had spare funds for such things but Mom always taught us to make cards and write letters to our families in Wyoming and to our Grandmother's when they were alive. Sometimes we could do a project in 4-H and give it as a gift.

I remember after learning to sew I made Mom an apron for her to wear in the kitchen.  We seldom were in the kitchen with out an apron. It was just protocol to save your clothes and use an apron.
She had that apron for many years. I suspect she set it back after I left home and used it on special times thinking of me. One year we learned to pour and do molds with Plaster of Paris and we did an animal for our parents.  She was not the leader for that Mrs. Fairbanks was.  Mom was our Sewing leader with the help of another neighbor. I think it was Mrs. Albini, I can not remember any more.

I know some of the Dad's helped with the animals and I had a calf, which became a cow. I could write a book about that cow. Laughing out  loud so could my mother of done so. We loved her but boy she (Cupid) kept us on our toes.

Mother's Day was a time to reflect on the things as they were when Mom was a youngster. She shared stories about events that happened on different Mother's Day's in her life.  One was a birth of a child. One was of Aunt Marie swinging from the open beams and landing in the dishpan of soup for the dishes with suds all over the kitchen.

Our Grandmother Inez did beautiful crochet and tatting and quilt making.  At one point she made each of us grandchildren a tablecloth. But when she died, my parents sold ours to help pay for the burial fees.  I still remember what it looked like. I have an apron that she made me as a teenage from crocheting. I think it was my 15th birthday. No I do not use it but I do  have it.  Yes, at home I still endeavor to use an apron in the kitchen. She also crocheted around hankies to make them fancy for the girls in the family.  I am wondering if Roberta  (Bobbi or Bertie) still has hers.

Grandma Ida, Dad's Mom was a different type of person than our other Grandmother.  She was loving, and sent us quarters taped to a card for our different events.  When older as a young adult it was a dollar bill, folded in with the card and note.  The money is gone but I have several of the cards and notes.

I know our family sent  our Grandma's flowers a few times for Mother's Day but mostly it was
home made things for them to use. I used to sew nightgowns for them to wear.  Both Grandparents wore gowns, his was called a night shirt. I made pillow cases and embroidered them and crocheted the edges to show them I had learned to do this also.

I remember my little brothers would draw pictures for them to hang on the wall from their grandchildren.

After marriage and we had children we taught our children things made and given generally held more meaning than a candle or candy.  Boy Scouts helped with that as did the skills I learned as a youth to help our children share with their Mothers and Grandmothers.

We did get so we sent flowers later in life because being more home bound flowers were a breathe of fresh air on times when they could not get out much or often.  We sent candy until the learning of Diabetes in the family.  But we still shared Jams and Jellies as gifts. The fruits in California were different than in Wyoming. I so miss the Chokecherry Jelly.

With our parents gone we now wait to see what will happen when the day rolls around.  Sometimes we treat another elder with a treat or flowers to make them feel remembered also.

My biggest thing was to travel home for the weekend when we could afford it so the Grandparents
could visit with their grandchildren.  Later it was flowers that both the Mom's loved when home bound, or taking them out to eat and sharing time.

How different is your Mother's Day to what you grew up with or your Mom grew up with?