Mom, with Love: ViaCord Celebrates Mother’s Day

At 5:26 pm by Lisa - Category: Did You Hear?

Mom. She’s always there for us. She gives us love, encouragement, confidence and the best cookies in the world. This Mother’s Day, we salute moms everywhere with some interesting and fun facts about this special day and the remarkable women it honors.

How did Mother’s Day start?¹ Upset by the devastation of the Civil War, Battle Hymn of the Republic composer Julia Ward Howe made a Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870. She asked women to band together to protest the futility of war and the deaths of their sons. While the idea didn’t catch on right away, it laid the groundwork for a presidential order four decades later. President Woodrow Wilson signed the day into national observance in 1914, declaring that it be celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.

Mother’s Day facts:²

• A whopping 122.5 million phone calls are made on Mother’s Day—more than any other holiday.
• 152 million cards are sent on Mother’s Day—making it the third-largest card sending day and creating more than 5 billion dollars in business for greeting card companies.

Mega mom numbers:³

• There are 2 billion moms in the world—82.5 million in the United States alone.
• Moms these days average 2 kids, but in the 1700s, most moms had 7–10 kids.
• About 4 babies are born every second. That’s a lot of pushing!
• 72% of moms work after their child is over one year old. And 55% of moms work before their child turns one.

Moms and chores:³

• Mom’s most hated chore? Vacuuming the stairs.
• 88% of laundry is done by moms. That’s 330 loads of laundry and 5200 pieces of clothing every year.
• There have been 7300 diaper changes by the baby’s second birthday.
• Preschool children require attention from mom every 4 minutes, which totals 220 times a day.

Super moms:³

• A Russian woman, Mrs. Vassilyev, birthed 69 children between 1725 and 1766.
• Weighing in at 22lbs, 8oz, Signora Carmelina Fedele’s son was born in 1955. Can you imagine?!

Making the most of Mother’s DayThere are lots of ways to celebrate Mother’s Day. Some good ideas include giving Mom a “day-cation” (taking the kids out so mom has a relaxing day at home), helping children craft a book of “coupons” that mom can cash in when she needs a little help, or spending the day at the park. Tell us, how do you plan on enjoying this special day?