MOTHER’S DAY-Sino ba sainyo?

Dear Mouse,
I do not want to write about Mother’s Day because, this day should be observed 365 days of the year. I thought Mother’s Day is an invention of either of the ff:

1. A guilty father

2. businessmen who make big bucks out of holidays commemorated or celebrated that sell cards and gifts

But according to my readings (saan nga ba yong librong yon…baka nasa ilalim ng bed) Mother’s day originated in Ancient Greece where spring celebration was in honor of the Mother of the Gods, Rhea.

However, the celebration of a mortal mother's day had its beginning in England. Daughters of poor families went to live at their employers’ houses and would be given Sunday as day off to spend with their mothers. Sa Pilipinas, mayroon din itong day off ng mga household help. Ang tawag nila, araw ng mga tsimay. Kasi naman sa atin, imbes umuwi sa mga maders, sa mga malls naman sila pumupunta at nakikipagdate sa kanilang mga may-asawang boyprens. Maisumbong nga kayong mga lintek kayo...

Even in countries where Filipinas work as DH,( many of them are mothers), the Sunday off is given a disparaging label by the fellow Filipinos. I suggest that it should be called, Mothers’ Convention. O di ba mas intellectual at professional ang dating. Paano naman yong hindi mga maders? Eh di sila yong mga dawters.

I was sightseeing in Singapore when the guide made a remark that the park to our left is where the Filipina maids converged. I thought I saw a smirk in his face. I rebutted, say thank you to these little Filipinas. You got a bargain for your children, a nanny and a full time mother. He looked at me as if he was sizing me up. I could given him my size and demand for a pair of suit and shoes.

These days however, with businesses-that-have-something-to-do-with-Ponce-de-Leon's fountain of youth-products/services -becoming a giant industry, it is difficult to distinguish a mother from a daughter. Naomi Judd had a lot of cosmetic surgeries that you could mistake her as one of the Judd Sisters, Winona and Ashley. It is safe to greet them Happy Three Mothers’ Day. Para bang Three Kings ang dating.

Philippines has its share too in the Mother/Daughter-Daughter/Mother Alike –end product of the expert hands of cosmetic surgeons.

Zsa Zsa does not look like she is several years older than her daughter in her previous marriage; Kuh Ledesma is just like an older sister to her daughter and so is Sharon to her Kaycee.

Gone were the days when a mother wore long skirt and shapeless blouse tops. Now you can see mothers and daughters wearing the same fashion, having the same hair style without being ridiculed as nagmumurang kamatis.

When my mother was alive, I used to borrow her tee shirt. I could had borrowed her blue jeans too but she had shorter limbs. Para akong palaging nakapuruntong. I could not borrow her canvass shoes too. She got it from the children section of the shoe store.

So this Mothers’ Day, I am greeting every mother (sino ba sainyo, sino man kayo) enjoy this day. Be lazy and watch TV all day. It only happens once a year.

The CA t