Yesterday, all over Britain, mothers basked in the extra attention they recieved from their children and loved ones. Although Mother's Day is meant to be a time to appreciate mothers, is that the sole intention of the holiday?

Mother's Day originated in 1908, after Anna Jarvis decided to hold a memorial for her late mother. She wanted to commemorate all the wonderful things her mother did for her and women all over the world do for others. However, when she wanted to officialise Mother's Day, the US Congress mocked and rejected her. Jarvis eventually won her case in 1911 and in 1914, the president, Woodrow Wilson, even designated the second Sunday in May to be for Mother's Day.

Despite the fact Anna Jarvis founded Mother's Day on the grounds that it would be a day to truly celebrate mothers, she soon came to hate the commercialisation of it. In the 1920s, companies sold an abundance of cards which people purchased rather than handwriting loving messagges. As Jarvis' creation spread internationally, more and more gifts became associated with the holiday; in modern times, things like cards, bouquets of flowers and chocolates are common presents and some people even treat their mother's to meals and outings. The buying of such gifts have become tradition in many of the 46 countries where Mother's Day is celebrated.

I asked two adults how they felt about the commercialisation of Mother's Day and I found out that they have similar feelings:

"I feel Mother's Day should be about quality family time rather than expensive gifts that some people can't actually afford to buy."  - Interviewee 1

"I think that the day should be more about making mothers feel special instead of buying expensive presents which seems like an easy way out compared to the amount of effort mothers put into being mothers." - Interviewee 2

So, although Mother's Day had humble beginnings and was created to simply show appreciation for all that mothers do, it seems we have turned it into an extremely materialistic day. It's clear that most mothers prefer quality time with loved ones so why don't we swap the pricy presents for heartfelt words instead? Maybe you should give it a try,next year.