Irsychoiogist Observes
“Mother’s Day Is Up There With Apple Pie”
By Audrey C. Lodato
Post Staff Writer
Mother’s Day is one na
tional institution that’s
filled with sentiment, and
no doubt it’s a big day for
the greeting card and flo
rist industries. While (tie
day carries with it much
positive emotion, for some
there is sadness, resent
ment, and other negative
feelings.
Charlotte psychologist
Dr. Wanda Webb observes
that “Mother’s Day is right
up there with apple pie and
the American Way. People,
really value motherhood.’’
She notes that the' day
generates a lot of fadings,
both positive and negative.
Among the reasons for
unhappy feelings related to
Mother’s Day are poor re
lationships between a
mother and her adult child;
memories from childhood
that generate negative
emotions; the return to old
mother-child roles when
both generations come to
gether; and feelings of
failure on the part of
either, mother or grown
child.
Dr.WandaWebb
...Day generates emotion
to the second Sunday in their mothers, the counsei
May because of the dU ing psychologist relates
feting relationships sons that Mother’s Day is ty
and daughters have with $ picaUy a holiday when
there is an increased inci
dence of depression in
women. In addition, “Any
holiday when families get
together causes stress,*’
she asserts. This holds true
not only if families do get
together, but also if they
don’t yet think they should.
“There’s an added di
mension,” Dr. Webb points
out, “in that many women
are involved in their
careers and put off having
children. At Mother’s
Day, they may wonder if
they should have done <fif
ferently.”
On the positive side there
is much happy emotion
that goes along with
Mother’s Day. “There’s a
lot of personal fulfillment
in terms of being a mo
ther," Dr. Webb remarks.
“Children give freely with
out reservation. There are
no conditions on their
love.” She adds, “There’s a
lot of reward in seeing your
children grow up and in
seeing them develop as
unique individuals. Moat
mothers, viewing then
child asleep at night, would
say that it makes aH of
their efforts worthwhile/*
Since mothers are the
From the day that the
Pilgrims landed on Ply
mouth Rode in 1*20 (and
ev«h before, when Virginia
Dare was the first child
bora to a Colonial family),
our national history has
been Interwoven with that
of our mothers, who
worked and fought and
taught successive genera
lions of future Americans.
The Revolutionary War
-brought us the unfnrget
table image of Molly Pit
cher, passing cannonballs
to the patriots at Trenton.
And Barbara Prietche is
remembered for saving the
nag at Fredericksburg
during the Civil War.
Harriett Beecher Stowe.
Julia Ward Howe, Frances
Perkins, Eleanor Roose
velt, Margaret Heckler,
Geraldine Ferraro, Jean
Kirkpatrick, Sandra Day
O'Cdamor, Dr. Anna Fisher
new. are identified with the
metamorphosis of Ame
rica and the influence of
bams of our national for
Mothers have worked in
the fields, beside their
farmer-husbands, carving
jKemesteads out of the
Women - mothers - have
been in the forefront of our
national educational
thrusts - as teachers at
home, as teachers in our
schools and churches, as
professors in our colleges
and universities.
They are scientists, poli
ticians, doctors, computer
programmers, legislators,
judges, attorneys, ac
countants - and women.
They help keep the ma
chinery of industry spin
ning in factories, they give
solace to the old and feeble
as nurses, doctors and vo
lunteers in hosnitals
V|1W
• Weddings •Funerals
! • Hospitals •Anniversaries
JVORMAN^S FLORIST
They have willed it so.
We need it so - which is
why almost 60 percent of
today’s mothers are in the
working force, while still
mWfftog their homes.
Sunday, May 12th MotfcerVDay
> . • Charlotte Cotueum 2:00 p-m. i
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John Keyee & The New Ltie
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sfe Goepel Key Nona gg,^
Tickets an sale at: CoHaeum Box Office,
(Beatties Pond Rd), Ja Jo’s (Gas
Fever (Shelby), Barrier Drive
Salon (West Bird), AH Atm
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initial child caretakers, a
strong bonding takes place
between mother and child.
Because of that, notes Dr.
Webb, there is always a
special relationship that
children feel for their
mothers.
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