Blog Tag: mothers' day
968
Written by
17
Making Mothers’ Day Better at Church
As many people know, Mothers’ Day at church can be a hard day for women.
Women might feel inadequate and depressed when speakers’ over-the-top rhetoric about mothers’ selflessness, goodness, and spirituality don’t feel achievable, realistic, or healthy. Also, women who have had difficult relationships with their own mothers or children might feel alienated by this discourse. And of course, the very many women who never have had and never will have children might feel painfully excluded if rhetoric in talks emphases motherhood as the most important role/duty/relationship in a woman’s life.
Nevertheless, I do see potential for Mothers’ Day as an...
691
Written by
Guest Post: “As My Mother Hath Taught Me”: A Mother’s Day...
Guest post by Elena Hirst Call, who enjoys expressing creativity through cross stitching, LEGOs, writing, and music.
Our Heavenly Parents are united in purpose. As Sister Susa Young Gates explained, “the divine Mother, side by side with the divine Father, the equal sharing of equal rights, privileges and responsibilities” (The Vision Beautiful) Because of that unity in purpose, I want to examine: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me” (John 8:28) from the perspective of “I do nothing of myself; but as my Mother hath taught me.”
Christ elaborates, “The Son can do nothing of...
1601
Written by
Mother’s Day: The Manliest Day of the Year
Sunday was Mother's Day. As it sometimes can, it brought up feelings of frustration for me. While we pay lip service to mothers and may give them breakfast in bed or a chocolate bar at church, we do almost nothing to recognize any of their power, authority, or divinity. We tell moms that their hard work on earth is seen and appreciated, yet we continue to absolutely ignore them in the eternities.The first thing I saw on my social media newsfeed Sunday morning was a Mother's Day message from Russel M. Nelson, already shared, liked and commented on by...
1181
Written by
Musings on Mother’s Day: Fertility Privilege in Mormon Systems of Power
I’ve written before about how Motherhood may be hazardous to a woman’s health. In this post I’ll discuss how fertility privilege functions in Mormon systems of power to disadvantage childless women and what we can do to change it. Fertility privilege is tangential (but related!) to marriage privilege in Mormon contexts, as childlessness in Mormonism happens to married and single women alike.
Home-church 2020 marks the first time in my lifetime that LDS women have not endured a Mormon Mother’s Day celebration at church. Some mourn this as a loss; others are relieved. Mother’s Day is not marked on the...
548
Written by
Guest Post: A Poem for Mother’s Day
by Laura Riddle Parry
I watch my mom cradle my newborn baby.
She is so gentle, exquisitely gentle,
as she lowers the babe from her shoulder
to gaze into her eyes.
She coos and rocks, rocks and coos.
In a way that I've felt, but never seen, until now
I know my mom was gentle, exquisitely gentle,
with me, when I was her baby.
That she gazed into my eyes,
and cooed and rocked, rocked and cooed.
I cradle my own baby
with the gentleness she gave me
before my memories begin.
Like all impressions left on the soul, not the mind,
I sense the same whisperings about my first mother,
my Heavenly Mother.
Who spiritually...
1872
Written by
We Are Not All Mothers
So often at church, womanhood and motherhood are seen as synonyms. There's no concept of a woman who is not a mother. The concept of a non-mother woman is so foreign that people feel the need to find ways to reassure childless women that they're mothers, too - because if they're not mothers, their womanhood is called into question.
Sheri Dew even gave a general conference talk to this effect, entitled Are We Not All Mothers? I say in response, no, we are not all mothers. And that's okay. The Apostle Paul reminds us that diversity is essential to the...
815
Written by
Guest Post: Reclaiming Mother’s Day
By Ariel Wootan Merkling
Anna Jarvis was forever changed by a simple prayer offered during Sunday School by her mother Ann. Her mother, an activist who organized around maternal and infant public health, stated her hope for “a day...set aside for mothers to rest.” (1) This prayer, a precursor to modern critiques of the second shift and women’s unpaid domestic labor in the home, also offered a solution-radical in both its day and ours, that women rest. Rest, strike, radical self care, abstain from all labor, the notion is radical in a capitalist society that under values women’s work. This...
362
Written by
Sisterhood on Mother’s Day (and Book Reviews!)
It was more than a decade ago, and I was in a new branch, and just called to be a Relief Society Teacher. I wasn’t thrilled. I had only recently found the Exponent Blog as my favourite resources for lesson plans, and wasn’t confident teaching Mormon women. To me, Mormon women meant mothers—the same mothers who seemed to have nothing in common with me- who was childless at the time. I thought the calling was not inspired, but assigned just a job that the new girl could fill.
“It’ll give the women a chance to know you,” encouraged a friend...
302
Written by
Book Review: Once There Was a Mom
I recently read Deseret Book's new book, Once There Was a Mom, written by Emily Watts and illustrated by Destin Cox. I hoped to share some thoughts on it before Mother's Day, but that clearly didn't happen. 🙂 So instead, I'll share some thoughts now, and I will start by saying I know this topic is tricky. It is tricky for so many genuine and valid reasons, and there is no way a single book can address all of them or meet every need. And this book is no exception. This makes me feel it is pretty brave to try to address some of...
1211
Written by
The Mother’s Day Conundrum
I am debating whether or not to attend church on Mother's Day next week.
On the one hand, I love that on Mother's Day we hear stories about women and often even quotes by women – something that is sadly lacking on so many other Sundays. In Mother’s Day talks I’ve heard about women church leaders, Deborah, Eliza R. Snow, and even Heavenly Mother. I’ve heard about people’s mothers and their complicated lives and relationships. My heart and soul sing to hear women and their unique lives and contributions acknowledged from the pulpit.
But on the other hand, I am often...
What is Exponent II?
Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”
For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.
