|
Mother’s Day this year will be…different. For some, social distancing means they may not be able to see their moms. For mothers who have been cooped up with their families 24-7 for the last two months, the best gift might be some time alone. Others, like me, will be remembering mothers who are no longer with us and wondering what they would have thought about the strange world we’re living in today. (In my mom’s case, a small army of cats would have kept her busy and happy.)
For this Mother’s Day weekend, I’ve assembled a few recent stories from the global network of The Conversation, as well as a great piece on the original history of Mother’s Day written last year by Sarita Srivastava of Queen’s University. When I re-read the story this week, this paragraph seemed even more relevant in 2020.
Instead of buying something, talk, connect, act with others. Teach your children about the diversity of families. Teach them too about the families denied the chance to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Have a great weekend. Give your mom a real or virtual hug and we’ll be back in your Inbox on Monday.
|
Mother's Day Weekend Reads
|
Claudia Finkelstein, Michigan State University
Mothers love to be with their children on Mother's Day, but this year, things might be different. A physician walks you through some questions to consider as you decide whether such a visit is safe.
| |
Farah Shroff, University of British Columbia
Canada has a long tradition of exporting women's rights. Canada's current feminist approach to international assistance is one worthy of developing —and celebrating — this Mother's Day.
|
Merilee Brockway, University of Manitoba; Sarah Turner, University of Manitoba
There is no evidence that the coronavirus is transmitted through breast milk, and breastfeeding is encouraged during COVID-19. However, the support available to new mothers has changed dramatically.
| |
Ryan Van Lieshout, McMaster University
For new mothers with postpartum depression, social distancing limits some of the best ways to improve their mental health.
|
Sarita Srivastava, Queen's University, Ontario
Mother's Day was originally a call for peace and justice. Some are advocating it be returned to a day of action and reflection.
| |
Mary-Leah de Zwart, University of British Columbia
Home economics isn't dead: We need it now more than ever. Founded by a pioneering chemist, it's about the insight that a change in one part of a system affects all the other parts.
|
Kate McLoughlin, University of Oxford
Popularised during the second world war, the song has found new resonance during the Coronavirus pandemic.
| |
Tracy Penny Light, Thompson Rivers University
A historian reflects on the meaning of an aunt's rural and war-time memoir, flagged for her attention when she was aged 13 by the then-81-year-old elder.
|
|
|
