Leading up to the Mothers Day celebrations in the ELC a couple of weeks ago, the air was a buzz with excitement. Anticipation was building while planning the evening, creating gifts and cards, making and wrapping, putting thoughts about mum into words, reading stories about different types of mothers and sharing these with others.
Finally, the celebration events arrived and the children and mothers were incredibly excited. The rooms were abuzz with special experiences and opportunities to share time together. Phones were off and everyone was in the moment. It was a joy to watch the children giving their very special gifts and cards made with love. It was hard to end the evenings, but some wonderful memories were made.
I also had the great pleasure to attend the Junior School Mothers Day breakfast and delighted in the energy and enthusiasm of the large gathering. Everyone was happy to be back onsite, building connections and creating memories once again as a Carey community.
However, I also began to think about what it means to be a mother in 2021. I came across a beautiful post to remind us of all of different aspects of this occasion. There are mothers who have lost children, those who have lost mothers, those with strained mother relationships, mothers with strained child relationships, those who have chosen not to be mothers and those who are yearning to be mothers. There are also those who are mothers but not the biological mother, foster mothers, godmothers and grandmothers.
Celebrating motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to pay our respects and be grateful but also mindful of what it means to many other people and to put ourselves in other’s shoes.
My son was born on Mothers Day many years ago. I remember ringing the hospital to say I was in labour and coming in, and they politely told me the ward was full. They asked me to wait a few hours as there were many expectant mothers to be there – wanting a babe born on that particular day. Eventually I arrived and my baby decided to make his entrance early that morning. Every now and then we share his birthday and Mothers Day – a beautiful reminder to me of his arrival into the world.
Mothers Day is celebrated around the world in different ways but the idea of honouring the mother of the family and the influence of mothers in society is valued. Generally, it is celebrated around March to May. I was interested to learn about the historical context and the development of Mothers Day, which has these days been criticised for becoming too commercial. In Australia, we celebrate the American borne version of Mothers Day, which has been around in other countries for many centuries. It began in the early 20th century as a Christian celebration at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia, and was founded by Anna Jarvis. It was created separately to other celebrations of mothers in different cultures, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the mother deity Rhea, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the other Christian ecclesiastical Mothering Sunday celebration.
The Little Library Mural: Celebrating Children’s Literature
We’re excited to share that we have an upcoming project happening in our Little Library. To brighten the space and make it a more fun and engaging place for children to visit, Carey will be commissioning a colourful mural to be painted on the wall. This mural will be enjoyed by children for many years as a representation of the value of literature in early childhood education.
We are asking for your support in bringing this mural to life. Any contribution to Community Giving helps, whether it’s small or large. You can specifically choose to support the children’s literature mural if you wish, or there are other initiatives available as well.
I hope you will be a part of this exciting project. Go to the Carey Giving page for more information.
Warm regards,
Wendy Seidler
Director of ELC Kew
