Here’s the Real History of Mother’s Day

Did moms come up with Mother’s Day as an easy way to get pancakes in bed? Did activists fight for its adoption as a way to get folks to focus on peace? Or did card companies invent it as a way to make a few (billion) bucks?

If you answered all of the above, you’re right. Well, at least partially. Peace activists did play a role in early versions of Mother’s Day, and makers of cards and candy (not to mention florists) do get to rake in the rewards the second week of May every year. And yes, who would ever pass up an excuse for pancakes?

But there’s more to the history of Mother’s Day than meets the eye. In addition to the hidden history of the holiday, there’s a whole lot of controversy, from debates about who came up with the holiday first, to lawsuits about who’s able to use the name “Mother’s Day,” to one of the founders actually trying to get the holiday scratched from the books, even after fighting to get it recognized as a national day. Besides all that, there’s the question of where that pesky apostrophe goes. (Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered on that one.)

Here are the secrets of Mother’s Day and its history. And, for good measure, a few ideas on how to celebrate your own mom on the second Sunday of May.

The Birth of Mother’s Day

The origin of Mother’s Day as we know it took place in the early 1900s. A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.

Over the next few years, Jarvis pushed to have the holiday officially recognized, and it was celebrated increasingly in more and more states around the U.S. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official holiday, to take place the second Sunday of May.

Anna Jarvis put Mother’s Day on the calendar as a day dedicated to expressing love and gratitude to mothers, acknowledging the sacrifices women make for their children. That’s why she was determined to keep “Mother’s” a singular possessive, as marked by the apostrophe before “s.” Each family should celebrate its own mother, so that individual women across the country could feel the love, even in the midst of a broad celebration of motherhood.

Other Mother’s Days

Before Anna Jarvis worked to get a day just for recognizing mothers, her own mom played an important role uniting women for good causes. Mama Jarvis—also known as Ann Reeves Jarvis—cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the field during the Civil War, and in its aftermath she organized a “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” the goal of which was to foster reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers by having them come together, along with mothers from both sides. With the senior Jarvis’ lifelong focus on caring for children and promoting peace, it’s no wonder her daughter fought for a day just for moms.

At around the same time Ann Reeves Jarvis was working with mothers in the spirit of peace, Julia Ward Howe, another activist—as well as abolitionist and suffragette—worked to have June 2 be celebrated as “Mother’s Peace Day,” and wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation” calling on mothers to work toward world peace.

These women and others were responsible for precursors to Mother’s Day in American culture, but celebrations of motherhood go back deeper than that. Such celebrations sometimes involved worship of a mother deity, such as the Goddess Isis in Ancient Egypt, or Cybele and Rhea in Ancient Greece. In other cases, celebrations were only tangentially about mothers: Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom, for example, was originally dedicated to the “Mother Church,” but was later broadened to honor human mothers, too.

Around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated in a variety of ways and on different dates throughout the year, though many countries observe the holiday on the same day as the United States—proof of the powerful impact made by Anna Jarvis.

The Big Mother’s Day Controversy

Even after Anna Jarvis was successful in getting Mother’s Day made an official national holiday, she wasn’t satisfied with the way that holiday was celebrated. She had teamed up with florists while she was lobbying to get the holiday recognized, even recommending a white carnation as the symbolic flower of Mother’s Day.

However, in the first few years of the holiday’s official existence, Jarvis observed as florists, candy-makers and card-makers, and even charities used Mother’s Day as a way to make an extra buck. The commercialization of Mother’s Day, according to Jarvis, defeated the whole point of a holiday that was supposed to be about celebrating the personal, individual connection between a mother and her children.

From about 1920 onward, Jarvis fought hard to prevent businesses from profiting by means of Mother’s Day cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts. Although she had fought to be recognized as the one and only “Mother of Mother’s Day,” she later lobbied to have the holiday removed from the calendar of national holidays, and spent piles of her own money in lawsuits against profiteers she saw as using the Mother’s Day name in vain.

The Commercialization of Mother’s Day

Did Anna Jarvis have success getting people to cut down on the consumerism? If you’re considering buying your mother a card or a bouquet of flowers, you’ve got your answer.

The National Retail Federation does a yearly survey to find out how much Americans are planning on spending for Mother’s Day. Here’s a hint: most people aren’t busting out the crayons to make a homemade card.

In 2017, the expected total spending for Mother’s Day in the United States is $23.6 billion. That’s an average of $186.39 per shopper. In the fourteen years the National Retail Federation has conducted the Mother’s Day spending survey, that’s the highest amount yet.

But don’t feel bad if you’re not planning on forking up quite so much. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mom without emptying your wallet. It’s all about making it special.

How to Celebrate Mother’s Day Today

For most modern moms, going out to brunch or getting a Hallmark card and a fat bunch of flowers will do the trick. Sure, Anna Jarvis will roll her eyes, but if Mom’s grateful, where’s the real harm?

If you want to go the Anna Jarvis route, make your own card or write a letter to show your love to your mommy dearest. Need inspiration? Use a phrase involving the word “mother” (like, “Word to your mother” or “Shall I be mother?”) or a nice mom-centric quotation. Here’s a good one:

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. – Jill Churchill

More where those came from here.

For some more free alternatives, you can pick up the phone (fun fact: Mother’s Day marks the highest phone traffic of the year in the United States), take Mom for a walk (if you live nearby), or send over something sentimental, like these pictures of animal moms with their cubs, pups, kits, or kids. Irresistible, right?

Most importantly, show your mom that she (and Grammarly) taught you well by putting the apostrophe in the right place when you write “Happy Mother’s Day.”

How to Accept a Job Offer (Examples and Tips You Should See)

Accepting a job offer isn’t as simple as saying, “I’ll take it! When do I start?” It’s important to make sure you and your employer have covered all the bases and there’s no confusion. It’s best to accept a job offer with a letter of acceptance.

What to Look for in a Job Offer

Prior to the official offer, you may take part in a brief little dance (sometimes called a supposal) where your potential employer says something like, “Suppose we want to offer you a position. What would we have to offer in order for you to accept?” Once you’ve negotiated the terms, it’s time to seal the deal.

Here’s a tip: The time to negotiate your salary and benefits is before you’ve accepted the position. If you’ve had a strong interview (or series of them) and you’re anticipating being offered a position, it makes sense to prepare to address these things in advance. Knowing what you want is half the battle.

Except in the most informal cases, your future employer should then extend an offer to you in writing. The offer should lay out:

• Your salary
• Your benefits package
• Your start date

Here’s a tip: If the employer doesn’t extend a written offer, it’s a good idea to request one. You can subtly prompt the employer to send you something in writing by saying, “I’m excited to get to work! I’ll review the terms of your written offer just as soon as I receive it. When would you need my response?”

How to Write an Acceptance Letter

You’ve got the job! Now it’s time to show your new employer they’ve made a good investment. You polished your resume and cover letter, so give your acceptance letter the same attention. Make sure you proofread your letter carefully. (May we suggest a helpful personal editor?)

Here’s a tip: Read your letter aloud to yourself before you send it. Reading aloud helps you recognize problems with flow and syntax—the parts you stumble on as you speak might need some rewriting.

Be sure to express your gratitude for the job offer. You’ve been given an opportunity, and your acceptance letter is a great time to show how excited you are to get started. Think about what you’re looking forward to the most. Maybe you’re amped about contributing your creative energies to projects, or you’re on board with the company’s mission, or you’re ready to dig into a project you’ve been told about. Go ahead and say so!

Keep your letter short and sweet, but do include these elements:

• A thank-you for the opportunity
• Verbiage that says you accept the company’s offer of employment
• Your title
• A recap of the salary and benefits as you understand them
• The date you expect to start

Job Offer Acceptance Letter Example

You can send your acceptance letter by snail mail or email. If you send a hard copy letter, format it like a business letter with your contact information at the top.

Here’s a tip: If you’re unfamiliar with business letter formats, word processors like Google Docs and MS Word have handy templates you can use.

If you’re sending an email, include your name in the subject line and the words “Job Offer Acceptance.”

Here’s what the body of your message might look like:

Dear Cecilia,

I was excited to get your phone call yesterday. I’m writing to formally accept your employment offer for the Social Media Manager position at XYZ Company. Thank you for the opportunity to put my skills to work making XYZ’s brand shine across multiple platforms.

As we agreed, my starting salary will be $52,800 per year with two weeks of paid time off. I understand that health and dental benefits will be available after ninety days of employment.

If there’s anything you need from me prior to that start date, or any documents I should bring on my first day, just let me know. I’m eager to dig in and get started on November 6, 2017.

Thanks again,

Paul

NFL Fan Grammar Rankings: How does your team stack up?

Geoff Foster, of The Wall Street Journal’s “The Count” sports column, collaborated with Grammarly, the popular automated proofreader, to put NFL fans to the test. Each official NFL team site was analyzed looking at the top 150 fan comments (10,000+ words) for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Grammarly ranked all 32 NFL team fan bases from worst to best. Whose smack talk was the most eloquent? The Detroit Lions fans proved to be the grammar champs. Who not write so good? That dubious honor goes to Washington Redskins fans.

To share this table with your readers, embed this in your blog post by pasting the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

8 Steps to Stop a Grammar Troll

You write a great article, and someone comments to point out every typo. You express your opinion in a comment, and someone critiques your writing style. These self-appointed grammar overseers are grammar trolls. What do you do when a grammar troll tests your patience? An angry response often makes the situation worse. If you want them to leave you alone, you will need to shut them down once and for all! Here are eight ways to stop grammar trolls without sinking to their level.

Act as though they are invisible.

Why do grammar trolls pick on your grammar? If their motive is to make you feel bad, reacting angrily only gives them satisfaction. Learn from this Korean proverb: If you kick a stone in anger, you hurt your own foot. Don’t damage your credibility by arguing with unreasonable critics; ignore them! Nine times out of ten, trolls who fail to get a reaction lose interest and move on to their next victim.

Focus on the real problem.

On the other hand, perhaps your grammar troll isn’t trying to be malicious. Some pesky commenters have good intentions, but they lack the tact to express their opinions inoffensively. In that case, carefully prepare a polite response. Let them know that you appreciate their feedback, but the way they express themselves is hurtful. If their hearts truly are in the right place, they might think before they post their next comment. You never know—you might later find their insights valuable once you realize that they came from someone who is trying to help you.

Starve them.

What happens if birds can’t find enough food in one location? They fly off in search of new feeding ground! Trolls are also migratory. They need typos, misspellings, and grammar mistakes to survive. They move from one territory to the next in their search for sustenance. If you proofread carefully enough, your writing can be completely devoid of nutrition for these voracious beasts. You will leave them with no choice but to move on.

Have the first and the last laugh.

Can you look for the humor in the situation? In real life, you might chuckle at yourself if you trip on the sidewalk. Why take your words so seriously? A balanced self-view contributes to emotional health and confidence. Besides, trolls hate when you laugh at them! If they want to embarrass or anger you, your good-natured response will really get their goat! You might say something like, “Ha! I guess that apostrophe got the best of me this time!” To add an extra zing, add a funny gif from a website like giphy.com. You’ll find plenty of options if you search “typo” or “grammar.”

Join the club.

To err is human, right? Everyone, grammar troll or not, has made a mistake at some point in their lives. Ironically, trolls are frequently guilty of making mistakes in their criticisms. Why not give them a taste of their own medicine? Check to see if the trolls are following correct and current practices by consulting a style guide. If you find an inconsistency, link to the resource in your response. It might be just the wake-up call they need.

Tell your biggest buddy.

Grammar trolls often bully those they feel are weaker than themselves. However, you have more control than you might have imagined. For example, did you know that you can disable comments on your blog or block certain users? If it’s not your website, report the bully to the moderator or webmaster. Most moderators of forums, for instance, are willing to remove comments or revoke privileges of abusive community members. Be patient when you make a report. Sometimes moderators need time to gather evidence before permanently banning a user. You can help them by sending screenshots of inappropriate comments made by the offender.

Graciously give thanks.

Look on the bright side: not many things in life are free. Grammar trolls offer proofreading and grammar advice at no cost to you! After all, you can learn a lot from your mistakes. Rather than let disparaging comments get you down, make an honest evaluation of your writing and speech. When someone points out a weakness, research how you can improve. Then, practice what you’ve learned. You might find your grammar troll to be an ugly but beneficial blessing in disguise.

Avoid dark alleys.

Trolls like to hang out in the dark corners of the Internet. If you are selective about where and how you comment online, you might be able to avoid trolls altogether. If you do decide to comment, remember that your exchanges are public. People, even those who don’t go so far as to contact you, will judge what you write and say. If your posts are well thought out and in good taste, readers will respect you even if you don’t always write perfectly.

You can beat a grammar troll without using your fists. Maintain the moral high ground. Trading insults only brings you down to their level. If your responses—should you deign to respond—show respect and good sense, readers will quickly see your intellectual superiority. Sure, you made a boo-boo, but who are the real buffoons?

Historic vs. Historical—Which Should I Use?

• Historic describes something momentous or important in history.
• Historical simply describes something that belongs to an earlier period of history.

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Historic and historical are two adjectives that have very similar meanings; so similar that it’s no wonder they are often confused. Still, they are not simply two spellings for the same word, so you should know when to use which.

When to Use Historic

Historic is an adjective that comes in handy when we speak about people, places, or events that existed or happened in the past. But we can’t use the adjective for everything that relates to the past—only those things and people that have a prominent place in history are called historic:

We used a historic map to learn about the history of our town.

The effects of the historic Battle of Hastings can still be seen in the English language.

When to Use Historical

For other people or places that existed in the past, or for things that relate to history, we use the adjective historical:

We used a historical map to learn about the history of our town.

The meeting between the two countries’ leaders was a historical occasion.

Examples

These battlefields and military installations were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Forbes

Chanel has said it will leave a historic perfume site in France if plans for a high-speed train line affecting its jasmine fields go ahead.

BBC

Gladden said Alda Clark founded the historical society after the death of her husband, former Howard County Circuit Court Judge James Clark Sr., in 1955.

The Baltimore Sun

Scientists have pieced together historical records to reconstruct Arctic sea ice extent over the past 125 years.

The Guardian

How Lin-Manuel Miranda Gets Things Done

One look at composer-performer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s list of accomplishments and you’ve got to wonder how he does it all.

His first musical, In the Heights, which he wrote and starred in, won four Tony Awards. He’s acted in TV shows, appeared on SNL, and was recently awarded the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Grant. He wrote the songs for Disney’s animated “Moana,” whose hit song “How Far I’ll Go” was nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Original Song. He’ll be starring in Disney’s upcoming Mary Poppins sequel, and is also connected to the live action version of The Little Mermaid.

Oh and you may have heard of his game-changing, record-breaking, smash hit musical, Hamilton, which won 11 Tony Awards, the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and totally redefined what musical theater could be.

via GIPHY

This guy stays busy. And not only does he find the time, but he’s consistently producing work that is both tremendously creative and is always raising the bar.

So what can we learn from Lin-Manuel Miranda about getting stuff done? And what can we learn about the creative process from this creative powerhouse?

1 Find Your Creative Groove

via GIPHY

With so much on his plate, Lin-Manuel has learned to make his creative time intentional and organized. He says:

In a way, I know that I’m going to get more writing done while I’m in the show, because having your life structured this way, where you have to be somewhere every night at 8:00, forces you to organize your time.

He always writes with a deadline (or else it won’t get finished), and he plays to his strengths by scheduling his writing time for the morning—his most productive time of day. Now that he has a dog, the morning walk is “when all the good stuff happens” and he’s able to tap into his peak creativity.

2 When The Going Gets Tough… Keep Going

This conversation happened 3 years ago. Keep writing. Get back to your piano. pic.twitter.com/90csgeoLUv

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 23, 2016

Lin-Manuel deals with writer’s block, just like the rest of us. It took him a full six years to write Hamilton, and along the way he faced the same bouts of discouragement (and hope) that all writers face.

Anytime you write something, you go through so many phases. You go through the ‘I’m a Fraud’ phase. You go through the ‘I’ll Never Finish’ phase. And every once in a while you think, ‘What if I actually have created what I set out to create, and it’s received as such?’

So if Lin-Manuel seems a little superhuman, it’s not because he was bitten by a radioactive, song-writing spider — it’s because he worked at it.

Making words rhyme for a living is one of the great joys of my life . . . That’s a superpower I’ve been very conscious of developing. I started at the same level as everybody else, and then I just listened to more music and talked to myself until it was an actual superpower I could pull out on special occasions.

3 Make Your Work a Priority—Because It’s Worth It

Good morning.

You will have to say no to things to say yes to your work.

It will be worth it.

This is from 2009. pic.twitter.com/fplm2QLsf6

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 11, 2016

A few years back, Lin-Manuel was sitting on a train headed to a friend’s birthday party, when he got the idea for a song. He started writing in his notebook and suddenly he had the chorus and he could see the whole shape of the song. When the train arrived at his stop he got off, went up to his friend’s party and said “Hey what’s up, man? Happy Birthday! I gotta go.” Then he left the party, got back on the train, and wrote the rest of the song (the Hamilton showstopper “Wait For It”) on the way home.

You have to do that sometimes, you have to say no to your friends to say yes to your work. Because what are you gonna do, like, lose that idea because you decided to have a drink with your friends? It’s not worth it, your friend will be there!

4 Find Collaborators and Mentors You Can Learn From

Hamilton doesn't exist without John Weidman.

Both by example

(Assassins, Pacific Overtures)

& through his friendship. pic.twitter.com/P86Z0QDnyQ

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 15, 2015

Collaboration can be a key part of raising your work to the next level. There were many times when Lin-Manuel felt stuck when writing Hamilton, but he had mentors like John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim who he could turn to for encouragement and feedback. Lin-Manuel says his choice to work on projects is not based on whether he thinks they’ll succeed or fail, but on what he’s going to learn from the process.

I co-wrote . . . “Bring It On: The Musical,” not because ever since I was a little boy I wanted to write about cheerleaders, but because I knew I’d be working with Andy Blankenbuehler and Tom Kitt and Jeff Whitty and Amanda Green. And I knew I’d have . . . three new tools for my songwriting tool kit from working with that caliber of artists. . . . I could not have written “Hamilton” without having worked on “Bring It On” first.

5 Do Work That You Love

At the end of the day, whatever type of creative work you do, it’s important to love the project you’re pursuing. In Lin-Manuel’s case, musicals involve a huge time commitment, and like most creative projects, will not make you rich (unless it’s Hamilton, which seems to be the huge exception to every rule).

Basically I have the best job in the world because I fall in love for a living. I write musicals, and musicals take a long time to write. So when you have an idea you really have to fall in love with it.

He advocates the importance of pursuing those ideas that just won’t leave you alone. Reality-wise, sometimes this means finding a job you can support yourself with so you can have the flexibility to work on your passion projects. While writing In the Heights, Lin-Manuel worked as a substitute teacher, and in the early days of writing Hamilton he took a job acting in an unsuccessful TV show (Do No Harm) which allowed him to spend time in Philadelphia doing research.

Lin-Manuel had no idea whether Hamilton would be a success or not, but he was passionate about the idea and he was committed to doing his best work. And the results were truly magical.

Here’s to doing the work you love!

via GIPHY

Regards, Best Regards, In Regard To—How to Use Them

Should you write regards to close your next letter or email? What does it mean to send your regards, anyway?

When to End a Letter with “Regards”

Historically, with best regards and with kindest regards have been used as a letter closing—a.k.a. a valediction. In decades past, regards implied not only esteem but also affection; today it sits somewhat higher on the spectrum of formality. While sending regards might have once been reserved for close friends and family, the tone it currently implies makes it well suited for informal correspondence, whether business or personal. A good definition for best regards, for example, would be a comparatively neutral “with my best wishes and esteem.”

Suitable Ways to End a Letter

Formal: Yours faithfully Formal (business): Yours sincerely; Sincerely Semi-formal: With best regards; With kindest regards; Warmest regards Informal: Regards; Kind regards; Best regards Personal: Yours truly; Cheers; Love

Using regards in a letter closing suggests that you have respect for the recipient, but not necessarily a close relationship with him or her. Because it is less formal than yours faithfully or sincerely, expressions with regards are perfect in emails, which tend to be less formal than letters anyway.

The more informal style for an email would be simply Regards. It can work for emails to people you work with regularly, but you might also want to consider that if you correspond with someone very frequently, no closing may be required at all.

Using “In Regard To” in a Sentence

The phrases in regard to and with regard to are identical in meaning to concerning. These expressions are used often in business correspondence to identify matters at hand. As regards is also frequently used in this way.

We have noticed a discrepancy in regard to your bill.

I have a question with regard to your position on taxation.

As regards sustainability, we use only recycled paper in our products.

Because as regards and in regard to/with regard to are closely related, a common error is to write in regards to (with an s) or with regards to. There is no need to make regard plural in either of these phrases.

Please let me know what your preference is with regards to the payment schedule.

Please let me know what your preference is with regard to the payment schedule.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports in regards to the status of her investments.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports in regard to the status of her investments.

It is worth remembering that some people consider with regard to and in regard to unnecessary business speak, and that ninety percent of the time, they could be simply and cleanly reduced to about or concerning.

Please let me know what your preference is concerning the payment schedule.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports about the status of her investments.

Using “Regarding” and “Regard” in a Sentence

The preposition regarding can also be used in the sense of concerning or with respect to.

The doctor called this morning regarding your test results.

Has the travel agent given you any more information regarding your proposed trip to Malta?

As a noun, regard can mean “consideration”:

Jane has no regard for the safety of her employees.

Or “esteem”:

The software development team holds their supervisor in high regard.

As a verb, to regard means “to consider or think about something in a particular way”:

The law regards child endangerment as a very serious crime indeed.

Or “to observe” (although this usage is archaic):

Alas, Dante could regard the object of his affection only from a distance.

“Regards,” “Best Regards,” and “In Regard” in Summary

Regards, Best regards, and Kind regards are good email sign-offs.

Remember that concerning and about can work just as well as, and more concisely than, in regard to and with regard to. The phrases in regards to and with regards to are never correct, and you might garner criticism if you use them.