Mother’s Day is a time to honor the woman who gave you life, but its origins are rooted in activism and a desire to celebrate motherhood in a meaningful way.
The holiday has its beginnings with suffragist and writer Julia Ward Howe, who proposed the idea in 1872. As a pacifist, Howe envisioned Mother’s Day as a way to bring women together in solidarity, advocating for peace. She hosted annual gatherings in Boston for several years to raise awareness and promote her cause.
However, it was Anna Jarvis, an activist from West Virginia, who is credited with shaping Mother’s Day as we know it today. In 1908, Jarvis campaigned for a national holiday to honor her own mother, a community health advocate who had worked tirelessly to improve public health and address child-rearing concerns. Jarvis sought to recognize the efforts of mothers everywhere and the vital role they played in society.
Yet, as the holiday became more widely celebrated, Jarvis became disillusioned with how it had been commercialized. Florists, greeting card companies, and retailers seized the opportunity to profit, a move Jarvis ultimately regretted.
In 1914, the holiday became official when President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May as a day to express our love and reverence for mothers. Since then, Mother’s Day has become a widely recognized occasion for showing appreciation, not just for individual mothers but for the importance of motherhood itself.
What started as a simple tradition of attending church and writing heartfelt letters to mothers evolved into a celebration complete with cards, gifts, and flowers. In 2025, consumer spending for Mother’s Day is expected to reach a staggering $34.1 billion, with the average person spending $259 to celebrate their moms.
And it’s no surprise that moms are pampered on this special day—after all, they often serve as the heart of the family. According to Insure.com’s Mother’s Day Index, the value of the work mothers do at home is estimated to be worth $145,235 annually in 2025. From cooking to organizing the household, shopping, and providing emotional support, moms do it all.
So, this Sunday, it’s time for moms to sit back, relax, and be treated to the love and care they so richly deserve.
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