Sunday marks the day many mothers look forward to all year. With any luck, their progeny will remember from whence they sprang and acknowledge their female parent.
For some moms the day will pass with celebratory meals with their families. On the Coast there are many opportunities for considerate offspring to treat their mothers. One look at the community calendar results in a plethora of pancake breakfasts, teas and even a musical afternoon. What more could Mom want?
For many, it would be adequate support, financial and moral, for their children. The last Canadian census showed that 1.2 million women head up single-parent families. The last time the number was this high was early in the last century when high mortality rates (disease and war) took their toll on the male population.
In B.C. one in five children live below the poverty line. And while that number locally is 15 per cent according to the 2014 Vital Signs report, it’s still nothing to be proud of. What it means in reality is that many mothers struggle to feed and clothe their children adequately, leaving no cash for even the most economical of celebrations. For a mom working for $10 an hour, 40 hours a week, and paying the astronomical rents even the lousiest accommodations in our area warrant, supplying just basic groceries is a stretch. In fact, for several moms, the most frequented food source on the Coast is one of the food banks.
Perhaps it would be a great idea to divert some of those allowances spent on yet another trinket for Mom to one of those local food banks. The kids could learn compassion, and Mom could feel good knowing another family is being helped. Or maybe next year one of the local service clubs could have a free-to-all breakfast and remove the stigma for those who can’t afford even a minimum donation.
Rather than a fancy card, most of these mothers need a significant raise in the minimum wage and better access to quality daycare. They need reliable, affordable transportation and advocates to access any benefits that are available to them.
We are lucky to live in an area where decent thrift shops abound, where caring churches and service clubs step up to help those in need and where, for the most part, the community does consider it a responsibility to raise every child in its midst.
But wouldn’t it be wonderful if every day truly were a happy mother’s day.
