Apostrophe question - please help!

[SuchStuff]

I'm more than a little ashamed to be asking this question, but where should the apostrophe (if indeed there is one) go in 'Mothers Day'?

I was about to write 'Mother's Day', when I suddenly thought the day belongs to more than one mother, doesn't it? Once I started thinking about it, I couldn't work it out.

I'm supposed to be proofreading something, FFS!

'Valentine's Day' has one apostrophe before the 's', doesn't it? The day belongs to Saint Valentine, right?

I am hanging my head in shame. Please help me.

It's a day for Mothers so Mothers' Day

...can you substitute Mothering Sunday, which is more traditional?

and saves all the apostrophe angst

It depends whether it is a day to remember your own mother, making it singular and therefore Mother's Day or mothers in general making it plural and Mothers' Day.
The received wisdom is that you only remember your own mother, and apparently there was an American proclimation on the subject (!) so Mother's is correct. HTH.

This is a good site

Marvellous - thank you!!

Within the context of the piece, it's a day for all mothers, I think, so I'm going to go for Mothers' Day. If it was something I was writing myself from scratch, Mothering Sunday would definitely be the way to go!!

Thanks again.

It is definitely St. Valentine's Day and I am fairly certain it is Mother's Day. I can't find any examples of Mothers' Day if I google it.

Noooo! Don't go for Mothers' Day!

I think Mother's Day would be correct too. The other bit was just for explaination. I was a newspaper sub in a previous life and would always go for Mother's not Mothers'.

Mothers' Day does look wrong, the more I look at it!

...this is why I always go with the Mothering Sunday option!

Aagh! Just looked at this thread again and panicked!! However, it's not too late and the offending phrase has been changed to Mother's Day. I can't believe I've had to think so much about a blimmin' apostrophe!! I'm usually the one giving advice on them!

Thanks again.

Nope, Mothers' Day as it is not only your mother but a day for all motherS.

Look at it like 'children's deparment/toys'. 'Children' is already the plural of 'child' and so gets an '-'s' at the end. As the plural of 'mother' already has an s ('motherS'), it does not get an extra 's' but only an apostrophy. The rule is that 's should be added to the plural of a word IF it has no s, like children. If it already has an s, then only an ' follows.

For the singular that does not apply and one would write 'Tess's clothing', although, the Americans I believe, would go for 'Tess' clothing'. But that's them. It is also 'St James's Palace' for example.

Please, do not make the sale mistake as the public toilets in Manchester, next to the town hall : 'Mens toilets' (which should of course be...). Sad.

And that should of course be 'apostrophe'.

I know French for God's sake!

it is Mother's Day - because although it's for all mothers, it's specifically celebrating your own Mother.

In the UK, though, it's incorrect to use Mother's Day as Mother's Day is American (and in May).
UK is Mothering Sunday.

yup, seems that I was wrong

Oh, well, the apostrophe rules still apply...