Child free women: Don't you just love being told "Happy Mother's Day," by people who don't know you

[RB TexLa]

because after you appear a certain age that's the assumption that is made.

Aren't "Family Values" just wonderful?

[GoCubsGo]

1. I really don't care.

AFAIC, it is a happy day for me, because it reminds me that I am not one of them, thankfully.

[Warpy]

5. No shit!

Not all of us are meant to be mothers and would have been unhappy women raising unhappy children had we been forced into it.

[GoCubsGo]

50. Yep.

My kid is the 4-legged kind, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[SharonAnn]

24. I have helped many children, helped "mother" them as the grew up so I'm OK with that.

Nearly all of us have helped "parent" other people's children during our lives. Sometimes in small ways, like paying for schools, sometimes in big ways, like taking in foster children or volunteering for children's organizations.

I accept good will however it's offered and for whatever reason it's offered. Makes my life simpler and more positive.

Just because I didn't actually bear children, it doesn't offend me to be wished well.

[GoCubsGo]

48. Yeah, that's kind of how I feel about it.

It's the same with every other holiday. As for Mother's Day, I'm a cat mom, which is good enough for me, and a lot of other people.

[zazen]

135. +1; beautiful post n/t

[Quantess]

2. I've always been asked first if I am a mother.

Or, it's been addressed to a group of women with the odds that one of us is probably a mom.
Even so, it doesn't happen to me all that often.

[livetohike]

3. It doesn't bother me....I always say "Thanks, but I'm not a mother."

and smile and mean it.

[Thinkingabout]

4. Since I have a little four legged darling I consider myself as a mother so I love having someone

tell me Happy Mother's Day.

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. Um...

[Sherman A1]

20. Precisely

One wonders why must some take offense at being wished a happy day?


BTW: I am a Dad and I was wished Happy Mother's Day today and even received a Mother's Day Gift.

[arely staircase]

39. I wished my grandfather happy birthday once and he replied

well, happy birthday to you too, little boy. he was 93 and I was 35.

[Cobalt Violet]

154. Just because you don't get it doesn't mean they aren't entitled to feel the way they do.

For some it is an insult.

[Sherman A1]

161. See Post #6

It is stated so eloquently nothing really need be added.

[Cobalt Violet]

162. I think post #6 is the shit stirrer, not the op. n/t

[Sherman A1]

163. We are all entitled to our opinions

You have yours and I have mine.

In mine it would be.... Some might just be finding, perhaps too much by which they are easily offended. But, whatever works for you.............

[cordelia]

105. Yep.

[pipi_k]

7. The way I figure it...

even if a woman has never had children of her own...either biological or adopted, there's a pretty good chance she's been a "mom" to someone.

She may have acted in the role of mom to a young person at some time.

A neighbor child. A niece or nephew.

A student.

A pet, even.

I think all women are "moms" in their hearts.

[Loryn]

11. Thank you for that.

As someone who was only able to conceive fibroids, not being a mother was quite sad for me earlier in my life.

Yesterday as I checked out of the grocery store with salad, cat food, and a bottle of wine, the checker cheerily said "Happy Mother's Day." I didn't correct her.

I have been a mother to all the things you mentioned.

[Number23]

94. What a lovely post.

Thanks for that.

[Mojorabbit]

101. I endured all manner of infertility treatments in my younger days

to no avail. That was eons ago thouogh. Generally it does not bother me but ever so often it drags up old stuff and makes me sad. I have nurtured all manner of people and animals in my lifetime so I try to take it in the spirit it is given.

[Squinch]

25. I'm not a mom in my heart. I am an aunt, a therapist, a neighbor and friend. In those

capacities I perform really important and valuable functions for the kids in my life, who includes some nieces and nephews that I love to distraction and have helped raise.

I chose not to be a mom. I am happy with that choice.

[pipi_k]

81. OK then.

I think being a mom of the heart is an honor, but far be it for me to say someone is what s/he doesn't want to be.

I change my original statement to say that many (not all) women are moms in their hearts.

[REP]

117. I am NOT. A. Mom in any fucking sense of the word, but thanks

I don't need to be considered a mommy in any sense to be complete. I didn't undergo two sterilizations because I secretly yearned for someone to call me Mom. Woman does not equal Mother.

[pipi_k]

137. Well you certainly

told me off!

Not sure where the idea comes from that woman = mom, but I didn't say it, and didn't mean to imply it.

You are right. Woman doesn't equal mom any more than mom doesn't equal woman. Mr Pipi was both mom and dad to his oldest daughter when his first wife left them both and wanted nothing to do with my stepdaughter till the day her mom died.

In any event, please forgive me for trying to be compassionate toward those women who, for one reason or another, usually not of their own choosing, do not have children. Please forgive me for trying to inject a bit of positive thought into a subject that is so very painful for so many women.

[REP]

160. But when it is of their choosing, there is no pain

Well, my sterilizations were a bit painful, but I chose those, too. Fought for them, in fact; too many doctors could not believe that I wouldn't change my mind (Alzheimer's doesn't run in my family, so no) or "meet a man who wants children" (why would I be with a man like that - or a man like that be with me?) or maybe I'd want a child because my husband could die (WTF?). Couldn't believe that a uterus and breasts actually had a functioning brain that could make decisions and plans and know its own likes and dislikes.

Too many people assuming that a woman without children is less somehow; is suffering from some inner pain; is bravely carrying on being childLESS. Never realizing that quite a few women decided that motherhood may be a fine 'hood indeed for many, but preferred a different address, and live there without regrets, doubt or the need of the so very compassionate glances of strangers.

[JustAnotherGen]

126. Loved my former

Step kids and I was a good stepmom - but I was not a mom. Nieces and nephews are great but after my third miscarriage in a year -

That's not good enough or the same. I'm sorry because I love what you wrote - but speak gently because you never know what heartbreak someone is experiencing.

[pipi_k]

139. "Speak gently..."

That is good advice no matter what, because what you said is true...you never know what heartbreak someone is experiencing, or has experienced.

My youngest stepdaughter had two miscarriages in less than a year. For a short time during her pregnancies, she was a "mother" to a fetus. Would she be hurt if someone wished her a Happy Mothers Day, or would she appreciate someone acknowledging that those fetuses even existed....one never knows how someone will feel about what we say.

After my own daughter passed away in 1975, my mother avoided mentioning her name. Nobody did. Never talked about her...I suppose people were afraid that doing so would make me sad. It would have, but that wouldn't have been a bad thing, necessarily. It's good to cry. It's good to mourn. If we don't do that, we find ourselves doing it years and years later.

I suppose I could have said to people, please...talk about Pammy. She was a real person. She lived. It will hurt me, but not as much as seeing people act like she had never existed.

[LaydeeBug]

8. It's a gesture of goodwill. I am not in the least offended.

Happy Holidays doesn't bother me either.

[chowder66]

9. This happened to me for the first time on Friday.

It was a customer in Georgia whom I have never spoken to or have met.

Must admit, it was a bit odd.

…yet I survived.

[riderinthestorm]

10. Same as "Merry Christmas" to a non-Christian... FWIW, I am a mom but I tend to see these types of

greetings as expressions meant with goodwill.

[mostlyalurker]

12. I am not offended because people mean well but,

because both of children died as newborns due to some medical stuff nobody but their father and I care about, it always hurts me. I don't get in peoples faces about it 'cause that's rude and uncalled for however, I think it would be nice if strangers were just kind and non specific with greetings like that. There is a lot of pain in the world you just don't know about.

[pamela]

69. I'm so sorry.

I really don't know what else to say. I just wanted to let you know someone saw your post and cared.

[mostlyalurker]

102. Thank you.

"I'm sorry" is the perfect thing to say.

[JustAnotherGen]

128. I'm so sorry too

My heart just broke a little more.

[olddots]

13. greetings are a communication device for mortals

I would reply " good day earthling " (not funny )

yeah it sucks --a few days ago on some "news" show they mentioned how Mother's Day is now a multi billion dollar industry ---we seem to make up these days to create consumerism brought on by advertising .

[eShirl]

14. It must be painful to hear for women who have been long trying, unsucsessfully, to conceive.

Or perhaps women who finally conceived, only to suffer miscarriage.

I know people mean well, but sometimes it's kinder not to say anything if you don't know the circumstances of the person you're interacting with.

[Metatron]

17. You expressed exactly how I feel.

Thank you.

[Squinch]

26. If I were wished a "happy secretaries day" on Secretary's day, or a "happy coal miner's day" on

Coal Miner's Day, I would think the person saying it was presumptuous and odd.

(Yes, there is actually a Coal Miner's Day. I'm told it's in June.)

[Ilsa]

32. This is a very important point.

It's possible that a gesture of goodwill can remind a person of something she feels is missing from her life.

[fishwax]

64. well said n/t

[treestar]

72. +1

It is not that hard to just not say anything.

[JustAnotherGen]

129. Thank you thank you thank you

[mainer]

15. Since I did HAVE a mother, I take it in that spirit

and since it's so automatic, I found myself saying "And same to you!" to a MAN who wished me Happy Mother's Day.

[Xithras]

156. That's how I see it. Even if you're not a mom, you had one.

Mothers Day is a day to honor your own mother as much as it's a day to be honored for being one. 100% of the people on this planet either ARE mothers or were birthed by one. I'm a man and will obviously never be a mother, so from my perspective, a Happy Mothers Day greeting is simply a reminder for me to reflect on my own mothers sacrifices for me. I always assumed that other men and childless women looked at it the same way.

[Jamastiene]

16. Aaaah, another wonderful DU tradition.

I bought a strawberry torte and told the cashier it was my Mother's Day present from my cat. She wished me a Happy Mother's Day twice after I did that, lol.

We should start a holiday on our own to coincide with Mother's Day. Non-mother's Day. We can celebrate our own holiday and have fun.

[hlthe2b]

18. I'm a mother to my furry four-footed babe....

and she will always love me and miss me when I'm gone.

That said, we all had mothers, so today is for them.

[Jamastiene]

57. I have always looked at Mother's Day as a day to celebrate our mothers.

I'm not a mother, but I still celebrate the holiday for my mother. Have I completely misunderstood the holiday all these years?

[sharp_stick]

19. You really hate kids

don't you, kind of pathetic.

[RB TexLa]

21. Not at all

[Squinch]

27. You really hate

women who don't have kids, don't you? Kind of pathetic.

Actually, I have no more idea if you hate women who don't have kids than you do whether the OPer hates kids. But that seems to be the game we're playing.

[sharp_stick]

29. I'm taking this to mean

you haven't been around for the "Oh how much I hate the child tax credit" rants come tax time. That being said, it may be better stated that he dislikes people that have kids rather than the kids themselves.

[get the red out]

33. WOW, Not judgmental are we?

Of all places to judge someone for a life choice that they refuse to keep "properly" shut up about I would hope DU would not be the place.

You are the one who is pathetic, since you are so condemning to someone you don't even know.

[sharp_stick]

98. that would presume it's

someone I don't know wouldn't it?

[enough]

61. This must be some kind of projection. There is nothing in the OP

that in any way suggests the poster hates kids, or women who have kids.

Or maybe it's sarcasm with out the icon.

[Warpy]

74. No, just people who ASSume too much

about people they don't know.

[sharp_stick]

97. yuuup i guess so n/t

[PasadenaTrudy]

114. Breeder Bingo!

And what if one does hate kids? Oh the horror!

[REP]

119. Yeah, my card's full, too

So is my barf bag, after reading the "all women are mothers in their hearts" glurge.

[seabeyond]

22. i was in my 30 before having kids and NEVER had a stranger wish me a happy mothers day. sheeeit,

i am a mom and old and still do not have strangers wish me a happy moms day.

i do not think it happens.

[Quantess]

43. No. It really doesn't happen all that often!

I have never had the phrase directed at me, point blank.
Occasionally I have heard "if you're a mother, happy mother's day". Maybe 2 or 3 times in my entire life, no big deal.

[Squinch]

108. I actually get it a lot.

4 times today.

[REP]

118. Happened to me all day. I'm Childfree.

[msongs]

23. happy corporate marketing day everyone! nt

[get the red out]

35. That's accurate!!!!

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

[LanternWaste]

145. Much like a birthday is merely "fetal expulsion day" which I also assume you have the consistency to

Much like a birthday is merely "fetal expulsion day" which I also assume you have the consistency to maintain... rather than simply pretending to be clever.

[etherealtruth]

28. Yep, that's right up there with wishing someone a "good morning" ...

.... when it is actually afternoon

[Trajan]

30. Not a big fan of this post ...

Just mean assed shit stirring ....

[Heidi]

31. Worthless, shit-stirring post.

(Only somewhat) respectfully submitted,

Heidi, child-free by choice but not at all miffed by Mother's Day

[Jamastiene]

40. It seems that if a woman does not have kids,

she might still have a mother. So, the holiday can still be celebrated. The ones I truly feel for are those who have to face Mother's Day if their mothers have passed on. I see no reason not to celebrate our mothers, even if we do not have children ourselves.

[Heidi]

42. Jama!!!

[Jamastiene]

55. Hey!

[sarge43]

60. No need to feel for us.

I have many vivid memories of the kind, silly, loving, heroic things my Mom did. Life is what it is. Far better I miss her than she to miss me. Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen.

Back OT: I don't mind someone wishing me Happy Mother's Day. Just because a woman hasn't given birth doesn't mean she isn't a mom. It would be a sad world if the only people we loved and cared for shared our DNA.

[JustAnotherGen]

130. How many

Miscarriages have you had in the past year? I called to wish my mom a Happy Mother's day yesterday and she said - thanks - but as a mom I want my daughter to have that joy. My heart breaks for you.


It's a day of reminders of a child you never got to hold.

[Daemonaquila]

104. *eyeroll*

Oh, how nice for you that YOU don't care. Get off the high horse. Lots of us are sick of assinine assumptions, like that because we are women, we give a damn about babies or would know what to do with them beyond preparing them with a nice white wine sauce, or that because we're married we're Mrs.-Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is. It's pretty stupid to wish anyone with breasts a Happy Mother's Day, even really offensive under some circumstances.

[LWolf]

34. Family values are wonderful.

Of course, we don't all define that term in the same way.

I AM a mother. My grown sons are the greatest blessing of my life, every day of the year. They don't wait for Mother's day to let me know that they love and appreciate me.

Still, today, my mom and I will be having dinner at my younger son's home. Dinner prepared and served by him, and by my grandson.

People who don't know you aren't stopping to wonder if you are a mother, or anything else about your life. They don't know you.

My grandson will also be wishing the woman who is not his mother a happy mother's day. He said, "She loves me more, and takes better care of me, than my 'real' mother ever did."

My students sometimes forget and call me "mom." I forgive them.

I'm a woman, and whether or not I choose to give birth, whether or not I nurture anyone in my life, I represent the female aspect of life, and can be honored for it.

I just wish we'd honor it more than once a year. Maybe by putting more women in leadership roles across the globe. Something less commercial, and more authentic.

[phylny]

36. Funny thing,

I am a mother, and the only people who wished me a happy Mother's Day were people who knew me and knew I was a mother.

Not the people in the store.

Not the cashier or the guy bagging groceries.

Not one person in church.

I am so fucking offended by these so-called family values.

[arely staircase]

37. this reminds me of people that get pissed when someone says happy holidays

when someone says something with good intentions, I find it is nice to simply be appreciative, regardless of how clumsy or off the mark the comment was.

[cloudbase]

38. Just don't hold the door open for them. n/t

[bike man]

41. Many child-free women have mothers. Maybe they can have a "Happy Mother's Day" with them.

[Tien1985]

44. I'm a gay man with

A loving husband and a 9 yr old boy. *We* have gotten wished a Happy Mother's Day. We don't celebrate it that way in our house, but we take it in the spirit that it's meant, smile and say thanks.

I don't see this as a crisis, but a simple "thanks, but I'm not a mom" should handle it.

[MNBrewer]

45. Well, every one of them HAD a mom

and it IS Mother's Day, so why not be happy?

If you don't have kids you should be DOUBLE happy!!

[Ptah]

46. In case I miss it, RB TexLa, Happy Father's Day.

[etherealtruth]

47. + [infinity]

[msanthrope]

49. Yes. Walking with my daughter and my dog today, I accepted, graciously, the

felicitations of perfect strangers who seemed to want to be nice.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

51. I don't care.

If someone wishes me well for any reason I think it's nice. It doesn't bother me if someone were to assume I'm a mother even though I'm not - but this has never actually happened to me.

[KansDem]

52. When I hear "Happy Mother's Day," I think of my mom

She passed away in 1991, but I remember her fondly.

I remember giving her cards and flowers all through the years of growing up. And I remember the special dinner we had each Mother's Day. I remember the special encouragement and praise I got from her and how she would stand up for me during difficult times.

I would imagine women without children would feel the same way about their "Mother's Day."

[Starry Messenger]

53. I tell my students they are all my children.

That makes us all happy. Sorry you feel the need to wallow in negativity.

[Bryn]

54. No such thing as child free women..the Bible tells me so!

I don't know where it is in the Bible, but it was Mae West who said this:

"The Bible says women who are barren have more children than those who bear them and I have more children than I can handle."

I don't have kids, but I do have more children than I can handle ... two big dogs, 9 cats.. and nature/enviroment..

Plus nieces & nephews ..

[Turbineguy]

56. Actually I asked a lady today...

she said she was not a Mother but an "Auntie". So I wished her, "Happy Auntie Day!"

[wercal]

58. I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it

I used to dread the Monday after, when everybody would ask me what I did for my mother...and I would uncomfortably tell them that she passed away when I was young. Now I'm old enough that people don't automatically assume that I have a live mother to send a card to or take out to dinner, so it doesn't happen as much.

But I never got angry at people for making the assumption. It was just 'small talk'...just trying to be friendly. And, I got this from people I knew and worked with. You probably get this from strangers at the checkout aisle...I'd just smile and not dwell on it.

[roody]

59. My reply to all such greetings is

'Happy every day.'

[La Lioness Priyanka]

62. i live in nyc

this has NEVER happened to me

[Katashi_itto]

63. Happy Mothers Day!

[CTyankee]

65. at brunch today, the waiter plunked down my "complimentary MOthers Day" glass of

champagne without asking...I had to laugh. I just said "nah, just give it to my husband. .." I'm a mom, but this sort of thing is annoying...

[HiPointDem]

67. why?

[CTyankee]

68. Well, I can see how a woman who doesn't want to be a mom could be a little annoyed.

Or were you asking why I gave the champagne to my husband?

[HiPointDem]

70. i don't see why free champagne is annoying.

[CTyankee]

73. That's why I laughed. I guess he just assumed what I was there for.

But it was morning and I had my coffee so I thought it was appropriate to give to my husband.

[Nye Bevan]

93. How dare he. How DARE he.

HOW DARE HE. That was an OUTRAGE.

[CTyankee]

96. We had a laugh. You don't seem to have much fun...tell you what, I'll give you my next

free glass of champagne at brunch!

[JustAnotherGen]

127. I understand what you are saying CT

:lmao:

I also see - Your a mother. You MUST need a drink!

[CTyankee]

132. ...just not at 11 in the morning...

but I will toast my newest grandbaby, Jack:

[IMG][/IMG]

[Squinch]

109. THERE it is! People are talking about something that annoys them. It was only

a matter of time before someone here called the annoyance outrage.

It's annoying. We're allowed to say that.

[name not needed]

121. Did you tell him "I don't drink with you"?

[CTyankee]

122. Aw, c'mon. We were having a good time with a dear friend of ours. It was a nice meal at

a neighborhood restaurant and bar "where everybody knows your name." Good people,, good times, my friend...

[HiPointDem]

66. never happened to me & i wouldn;t take offense if it did. stupid thing to get offended at.

why don't you direct your energy at something that matters?

[treestar]

71. Yeah, I say nothing if I don't know for certain

There's no rationale for assuming all women of a certain age are mothers. If you don't know, you need to find out before saying it. It's not that hard. Like asking a fat woman when she is due - just not a good idea. There are times when it is OK to shut up.

[uppityperson]

150. I assume they all have or had mothers and the day is for their mom instead of them. Maybe I'm odd in

assuming mother's day wishes are about the person's mom rather than the person.

[treestar]

159. I am getting a vibe that it can be considered very general

Like we should all have a happy mother's day, mother or not. Then we could wish it for men, too. They have mothers.

Family story: curmudgeonly uncle didn't get his wife a mother's day card, said, "you're not my mother."

[magical thyme]

75. I'm "mother" to 2 dogs, 5 birds, a horse, a sometime cat and a garden

s'nough for me although I'd like for a 2nd horse to join us.

[okaawhatever]

82. You're a den mother ; ) Or, you're starting your own ark. nt

[HockeyMom]

76. Every female teacher is a Mom

as every male teacher is a Dad. They HAVE to be.

[nolabear]

77. Oh for crying out loud.

[Old and In the Way]

78. Really? We should not honor all mothers because some might not have children?

It's all about you, isn't it? Jeesh, it must suck for you to be so insulted.

[Old and In the Way]

100. I wish you hadn't told me what you really thought.

PM me anytime.

[procon]

79. It's just a common greeting

so why would it be anymore upsetting than "Happy Valentine's Day" if I didn't have a beau?

It's bad enough that we have the perennial rightwing barkers who go apoplectic over holiday greetings without trying to flog this sort of specious nonsense into an issue too.

[99Forever]

80. Must be a wonderful life...

... to spend it shopping for petty, trivial crap to be pissed off about, eh buddy?

[Lady Freedom Returns]

83. Yes,

I am also not a happy camper about the way Government and Charities treat you when you tell them you do not have kids.

Had one guy about, not quite, a year ago ask me how many, not if, kids did I have. I said I had none. His jaw dropped and he says "Are you sure?" He treated me as some sort of alien from outer space from then on out.

[Squinch]

110. I once dated a guy who had divorced his wife and left his home country

and had, by his choice, not seen his son for 8 years - since the child was 8.

When he found out I had no kids, he said, "Don't you feel like your life is incomplete?"

Didn't have a second date.

[Raine]

84. It doesn't bother me at all. I'm a mother to my four legged babies

so I just smile and say "thank you". I'm always glad when someone says something nice, why put them down for it. Why look to be insulted when none is intended.

[Ikonoklast]

85. I don't do Mother's Day with you.

[LiberalAndProud]

86. I wished my brother a happy mother' day today.

He said, "Thanks, but I'm not a mother."
I said, "Have a happy one anyway."

So, happy mother's day, RB TexLa.

[GiaGiovanni]

88. I can see how it would be a little annoying, but I wouldn't let it ruin my day

What's worse is when you've put on a little weight and people start asking you when the baby's due.

[a la izquierda]

89. I have dogs.

I am a mommy. They are the only children I care to have.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

90. I am glaringly obviously ethnically jewish, yet completely disinterested in even secular culture

Yet, somehow I manage to navigate through life without being outraged by expressions of goodwill for various Jewish observances.

[u4ic]

91. I don't expect anyone in customer service to know my situation

Whatever greeting they give me, I assume it's either store policy (like Xmas greetings - as a Pagan, I'm not in the least bit offended) or they're just being polite and/or friendly.

[arikara]

92. The sentiment is not meant to offend

Nor is it to do with "family values" which is nothing more than "keeping the little woman in her place". I was wished happy mother's day by a customer and I thought it was rather sweet. I heard a radio announcer wish happy mother's day to a male caller today and he was taken aback by it but accepted it with grace.

[Codeine]

95. I don't procreate with you.

One good DU tradition deserves another. . .

[ProdigalJunkMail]

99. those that stir the shit

should be required to lick the spoon...

what complete and utter bullshit feigned offense. laughable... but somehow sad.

sP

[BeyondGeography]

103. Only a few more hours to go for DU's War on Mother's Day

[WinkyDink]

106. We've all HAD mothers*, so take it in good humor. *Unless you're named "Macduff."

[AnnieBW]

107. It Makes Me Uncomfortable

Mostly because my husband and I are infertile. I also have a very strained relationship with my own mother. I just smile and say that I'm a kitty-mommy.

[Catherine Vincent]

111. It happens to me but I don't mind

[Zorra]

112. "It takes a village..." ~ Hillary Clinton

[PasadenaTrudy]

113. Yep

Female = Breeder to most people. The cult of motherhood...yech!

[uppityperson]

151. Do you have or have you had a mother?

[PasadenaTrudy]

115. Sad that DU is so pronatalist... n/t

[get the red out]

123. Agree

Too bad.

[kestrel91316]

116. I got that about 4 times today when I went into a neighborhood

over the hill to window shop and evaluate for a possible move. Everybody who said it did so with a cheery smile on their faces and obviously meant well.

I just say thank you and then say I don't have children. I don't expect any apology. And I don't find it offensive.

I only get peeved at the whole "family values" thing when it is used to deny me my rights. This doesn't.

[Lucinda]

124. Eh... 19 people were injured when someone shot up a Mothers Day Parade in NOLA

THAT bothers me, not someone wishing me well.
I celebrate the memory of my mom on Mothers Day, as well as be happy for all my friends who have chosen that path. Doesn't phase me at all if a stranger assumes I have children.

[HappyMe]

134. I agree.

I find somebody shooting up a Mother's Day parade far more offensive.

[JustAnotherGen]

125. I stayed home

All day. Totally avoided it!

An animal is not for me. And I'm struggling. This is a heart wrenching experience that s filled with sadness and despair. If I had heard those words yesterday I might have responded with:


Oh go fuck yourself! You ever had an HSG with the catheter in? No? Well you would rather be kidnapped and experimented on by aliens than go through that in earth. Now go fuck yourself!

Better to stay in than be miserable to others. But I did speak with three other women in he same journey . . . and we all sent baby dust to each other.


Those words aren't offensive to people who have "Oops" stories or who think its "Easy'.

[Skittles]

131. I can honestly say that has never happened to me

and if it did I would not get upset; I'd just say I mother two cats

[alc]

133. everyone's different

my childless (by choice) sister-in-law demands a mother's day card every year because she considers her dogs to be her children. She chose to not be a mother but doesn't want to be left out of this "mother event".

[NCTraveler]

136. Happy Mothers Day.....Faimily Values.

You have to be kidding. As I was wished it today, I thought about my mother. Wonderful thoughts.

[alphafemale]

138. Is it safe to assume you....had a Mother?

Seriously...of all the bullshit reasons to be offended?

This ballz on takes the case.

[HappyMe]

140. I find it odd that rather

than women supporting other women, there is a bunch of snarling about 'breeders'.

Good grief, it's only one day out of the year. I'm sure all of us here have a grandma, mom, aunt...or someone that could be honored on Mother's Day.

I am a mom. We were out and about yesterday, nobody 'offended' me by greeting me with Happy Mother's Day. I did hear those words from the only 2 people in the world that come first with me - my sons.

[alphafemale]

142. As they should. The OP is horseshit.

You couldn't Make Up a better thread to make villains out of liberals.

Someone said Happy Mothers Day!!!!

Call the ACLU!

wwwaaaaahhh!

[HappyMe]

143. Well, I can't get pissed off about that.

OP and some of the responses make us look like heartless jackasses.

[LanternWaste]

144. Someone needs a hug and wants attention again.

You are then concerned that some people greet other people in a particular way on a particular holiday? Is there then a standard greeting all people should share that does not offend...?

Or (and I find this more likely), someone needs a hug and wants attention again. Bless your little heart.

[cbdo2007]

146. Mother's Day has become all twisted and contorted and commercialized....

so you have to spend a whole weekend now honoring everybody for Mother's Day even when they aren't a Mom because they have to make all days applicable to all people.

[ieoeja]

147. Men tell each other "Happy Mother's Day". Because it's a Holiday.

As an Atheist should I get upset when people wich me a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah or Scintillating Solstice? No. I'm happy for the well wishes.

[HappyMe]

148. I was in 8th grade when my mom died.

The next year, on Mother's Day I got my dad a Mother's Day card. He got a Father's Day card and a little present too.

I don't see anything offensive about well wishes. There is so much nastiness and horror in the world today.....a few kind words won't hurt anybody.

[uppityperson]

149. No because I have/had a mother and am happy for her. It isn't always about you. eom

[marshall]

152. Less than 20% of women in the US over 40 are child free

The number is certainly growing, but it's still a safe bet to assume a woman of a certain age is a mother. And as has been pointed out, those who are child free have almost certainly nurtured someone at some point in their life.

[Orrex]

153. That was one heck of a drive-by!

I would never accuse you of trolling, but I have to say that most trolls don't enjoy the same reply:OP ratio that you scored on this one.

Nicely done!

[upaloopa]

155. Well if they don't know you it is an honest mistake.

And in their mind they are doing something positive so their motivation is positive.
I think you are making much to do about nothing and I am 1/2 of a childless couple.

[marions ghost]

157. The only person I would ever wish a Happy Mothers Day

is my mother. (Or mother-in-law).

IMO it's bizarre to wish people you don't know a Happy Mothers Day.

It's like wishing strangers Happy Birthday or Merry Xmas when you have no idea. Now if somebody reads my birth date on an ID and wishes me HBD that's OK because they know.

Do fathers get this? While it isn't offensive, it's just strange...