SPECIAL ISSUE

Maa tujhe salaam!!

Shahida Khan

Continuation of life is not possible without a mother. Around many of us, it is the mother, who doesn’t get proper attention, in spite all her favors to the children. The involvement of a mother towards upbringing a child is so much that she makes all kind of compromises with her career, her personal life. Ask those individuals meaning of mother, who doesn’t have one. To honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up a child, Mother's Day is celebrated. Over 46 countries across the globe including US, Australia, Canada and India celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May. Since 1914, the world has been celebrating Mothers Day with joy and devotion.

Though Mothers Day celebrations take place at different times around the world what is remarkably same are the feelings with which people celebrate Mothers Day. This is so because mothers are as caring in East as they are in the West. The difference between mothers from one part of the world to the other simply does not exist and so are the feelings of children. All over the world people love to celebrate Mothers Day with their mothers and shower love on them.

In many countries special prayer services are held in churches in honor of mothers. But the most common method of celebrating Mothers Day is to treat mothers with breakfast in bed. Children allow their mothers to sleep till late in the morning while they along with their father juggle in the kitchen to prepare her favorite breakfast. Most often a Mothers Day card and a bunch of bouquet accompany the meticulously laid breakfast. Many children prepare a card themselves a day before Mothers Day. Some also make handmade gifts to show their respect and affection for their mother. Grown up children prefer to buy gifts from the stores ranging from clothes, accessories to jewelry.

Cakes, cookies and pies are the favorite dishes prepared on the occasion of Mothers Day. Some consider having dinner at home with the family as an ideal way of celebrating Mothers Day; many on the other hand prefer to dine out. Hence, restaurants are seeing more business then ever on the occasion of Mothers Day.

Since Mothers Day is observed as a holiday in lot of countries many like to take the opportunity to go out for family picnics and have fun. In several schools, celebrations of Mothers Day are organized wherein children present skits, songs and plays to honor mothers.

People staying away from the families make efforts to spend the day with mothers and grandmothers to make them feel special. This way Mothers Day has turned out to be family reunion day for many. While those who cannot visit their moms call their mother on phone and send greeting cards to express their gratitude and love for them.

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Mommy’s favorite expressions

Here is list of most common and popular expressions of mothers that transcend the borders of time, space, language and culture.

* Because I'm your mother that's why.
* Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!
* Don't eat those; they will stunt your growth.
* Be careful what you wish for, it might come true.
* If you don't eat those, you will stunt your growth.
* I hope that when you grow up, you have kids "Just Like you"!
* Money does not grow on trees.
* Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
* If I talked to my mother like you talk to me....
* Be careful or you'll put your eye out.
* What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
* You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes!
* Close that door! Were you born in a barn?
* If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
* This is why we can't have nice things.
* If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times.
* Someday your face is going to stick like that.
* Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
* Because I said so. (Contributed by Karen G in AL)
* Just wait till your father gets home.
* No desserts till you clean off your plate.
* I brought you into this world and I can take you OUT!!
* I've got eyes in the back of my head, that's how
* Get that thing out of your mouth!
* You tell that bully to cut it out or you'll tell the teacher...
* I slave for hours over a hot stove and this is the thanks I get?!
* Honestly... You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on!
* Bored! How can you be bored? I was never bored at your age.
* Who'll end up walking, bathing and feeding it...?