My child’s school have changed the name of Mother’s Day to special persons day, what do you think?

[Rainbow03]

Have we gone mad or is this appropriate?

I am in favour of this replacing both Mothers and Fathers day in school.

Its the same as people saying 'Your grown up' rather than 'Your parent'. It doesnt erase the parent, it makes sure that every caregiver is included.

I have two foster children in my life. One has lost his mother due to heroin abuse, he's 9 and very aware that mummy died and misses her. It pains me that he has to go to school and 'celebrate' Mother's Day and the other is unable to live with his mother (or father) because of their continued heroin abuse. He does not have any understanding (and never will) as he has been severely damaged before birth due to drugs.
I have four birth children and I love Mother's Day. But I can see both sides. You'll never get it right sadly.

Or the school could enable an inclusive activity without adding to the workload of individual teachers.

@Needmorelego I think this maybe one of those occasions where common sense comes into it. No one will probably be able to give a concise answer in the wake of the death of such an important person. Air on the side of caution, it costs absolutely nothing, it’s just a day, it’s just a card. I’m sure (although I’m starting to doubt) reading this thread that we can put ourselves into the shoes of these children and come to a pretty good conclusion.

Mothering Sunday was a traditional celebration - I think changing the name to special person's day is meaningless. If the day is reduced to some thing that is in my view so vague I cannot see the point.

I’m wondering around my house now with my baby in her sling and if I wasn’t here anymore I’d want people to go to the ends of the earth to make sure she was ok. I can’t see how people can’t want the same for all of those little people dealing with a pain I could hardly endure when I lost my dad when I was 33.

Ridiculous. There's already a Fathers Day and a Grandparents Day (ffs!). What more do people want. This world is sucking the fun out of everything.

Why not mothers and special people day? ... Why do we need to erase mothers completely. Most children will have/have had a mother or mother figure in schools. It's also good for the grieving process for children who have had a mother pass away to continue to remember them as long as they are supported. Many children in foster care also still maintain a relationship with their mother.

Perfectly put! It's yet more erasing of a special role that women have in our society.

RTFT

The OP has already said that this happened on the last Fathers ' Day.

It's nothing to do with sucking the fun out of anything.

It. Happened. At. The. Last. Fathers '. Day.

There is no agenda here to erase women.

And it's nothing to do with erasing women either. The 'special person' is also quite likely to be female.

Ahahah my DD wrote a card to me and my husband, maybe acknowledging he is more traditionally maternal 🤣

And society is such a beautiful place to live in where we blame victims for the abuse not the abuser, we blame rape victims for being raped. People with disabilities and difficulties are pushed aside. If there was more inclusion more empathy society would be a much better place to live. With our children is the best place to start.

Utter craziness from the Scholl. The woke crowd have control now.

Yes how totally woke to consider the feelings of a child who's mother is dead.

What a vile person you really must be.

I do agree with this ... I think it's probably better to teach children to cope with difficulties and differences in their lives and others rather than to brush over these things. I do like mothers and others though, I think it doesn't erase mothers but also helps children recognise and appreciate their differences.

Another one who's convinced that there is some kind of anti woman agenda.

I was in infant school when my dad died. It was six weeks before Fathers Day.

I had to make a card with everyone else and was told to make it for my granddad or an uncle. Both my granddads were dead and I had no real relationship with my uncles. I was so upset and crying but being a good child I made a card but put it in the bin on the way home because I didn’t want to upset my mother.

This is why I don’t feel it’s gone too far. I don’t even think it’s something schools should do.

This.

My kids know someone who finds Mother's Day deeply distressing.

It would be very wrong for me to demand school upset a vulnerable child just to make me feel 'celebrated'. I am already celebrated by those who love me.

one dad of two dads here. Adopted child. Mother’s Day brings up a lot for our kids. Lots of big feelings.

sons school did mothers or others day. Which I thought was sweet. However they asked me did I want him to make a Mother’s Day card. Of course I don’t - who’s he making it for? The school know the full background.

for those saying it’s a religious day Mothering Sunday blah blah. It’s not a religious school - why are they doing anything at all? He was crying last night because he has been told by another child that he can’t make the cakes because he doesn’t have a mother. Fine talk about Mother’s Day, and sweet of them to make it mothers or others day, but giving it a different name clearly hasn’t caused any inclusivity.

he couldn’t tell me which child has said he can’t do it, only the children that stood up for him, so it is quite possibly a made up story, but he’s still clearly thinking about his difference before he needs to (he’s in reception).

@ilovesooty yes exactly. It's very easy to be inclusive. It's Mother's Day - or you can celebrate/give a card to someone in your life who is "like a mother to you".
That's all the teachers need to make it. If a child has literally just lost their mother for whatever reason then that would be the time for a chat with the child and adult looking after them to decide what to do, but generally all the teachers need to do is say is for craft that day they will be making cards for Mother's Day or for someone else in their life who they would like to give a card too.
"Mothers and Others" sounds good.
Not "special persons".

I guess that means I'm what you would call woke - I would happily have the name of Mother's Day changed to avoid upsetting a child whose mum was dead.

It sometimes seems the opposite of woke is 'cunt'.

@Halfanorphan sorry for you losing your dad at a young age 💐
That's the situation where it should be appropriate for a teacher to talk to a child (and in your case your mum) in advance to decide what to do. Your mum could have told them you had no granddad or uncles so not to suggest that and you could have decided to make a card in memory, or one for your mum, or be descretly taken out the classroom to do something else like help the head teacher put up posters.
I hope more current teachers are a bit more sensitive.

I despair.