What's up?!: My MOTHER's DAY for Dads

One and Another
1934 / Hugo Robus/ Born: Cleveland, Ohio 1885/Died: New York, New York 1964
bronze on wood base / overall: 28 3/4 x 43 7/8 x 23 3/8 in. (73.0 x 111.5 x 59.4 cm.) base: 1
Smithsonian American Art Museum / Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation / 1986.6.72

Was ich am Muttertag am meisten mag, ist, dass sich plötzlich auch die hartgesottensten Männer gefühlvoll, ja sentimental zeigen. Nicht selten erlauben sie an diesem zweiten Sonntag im Mai sogar einen kurzen Blick in ihr ansonsten so gut verborgenes Inneres. Da kann man ungeahnte Schätze entdecken: Zärtlichkeit, Sehnsucht, Trauer, Verletzlichkeit - und immer wieder tiefe, bedingungslose Liebe und echte Dankbarkeit. 

Solche Einblicke versöhnen und trösten mich auch deshalb, weil sie mich daran erinnern, dass alle Menschen auch immer noch die einstigen Kinder sind, die sich nicht nur nach Wärme und Liebe sehnen, sondern auch allzu oft an den Anforderungen und Ansprüchen des Lebens scheitern.

Gestern habe ich in einem Artikel der "Times" von einem Mann gelesen, der dieses ganz besondere Gefühl, das wir eigentlich immer nur den Müttern zuschreiben, in sich entdecken und weiterentwickeln konnte - in einer Zeit größten Schmerzes. Deshalb habe ich meinen Muttertag heute ihm gewidmet - und allen den Menschen, die den Mut haben, ihre Angst zu überwinden und ihre (Mutter-)Liebe zu entdecken:

How a Cancer-Stricken Dad Chose a Council of Successors - TIME  Father & Daughter auf Flickr - Fotosharing! 

"Ich bin ein Mann mit einem Mutterherzen“  

Hip-Hop's Top 10 Tributes to Mom

Kerry Washington Talks 'Mother and Child'

'Mother and Child' Review: Bening, Watts Take On Adoption
Black Mothers and Daughters on Film




Before Mother's Day, African grannies meet on AIDS
Africa's grandmothers debate HIV/Aids
Canadian Grandmothers in Africa 
Let's Make Sure AIDS Orphans Aren't Forgotten this Mother's Day

Foto: Pygmäenfamilie in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo / l. Petheram,/ United States Agency for International Development Public Domain/ Wikimedia Commons

Umfrage zum Muttertag: Steffi Graf ist neue "Mutter der Nation" 
Quiz | Wieviel "Mama" steckt in Ihnen?
Zum Muttertag: Entspannt euch!

Antibabypille: Das Ende des "Vatikanischen Roulettes"
Wechseljahre einer Pille  

To the Grandmother I never met:

TITLE: Present day mother and child ... not pure Negro. CALL NUMBER: LOT 13262-2, no. 2 [P& P] Check for an online group record (may link to related items)
REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZ62-125148 (b&w film copy neg.) RIGHTS INFORMATION: No known restrictions on reproduction. MEDIUM: 1 photographic print : gelatin silver ; 10 x 8 in. CREATED/PUBLISHED: [between 1937 and ca. 1938]
NOTES: Title transcribed from item. 30676. Forms part of: Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections.
PART OF: Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections
REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
DIGITAL ID: (digital file from original) ppmsc 01036 hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/
(b&w film copy neg.) cph 3c25148 hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ CONTROL #: 99615222

"All of the Extraordinary Women in Our Lives" | The White House

The White House Blog/Posted by Shama Hussain on May 07, 2010 at 05:52 PM EDT(Video included)/Public Domain

• Play/pause
• Mute/unmute
• Rewind and stop

Read the Transcript  |  Download Video: mp4 (254MB) | mp3 (12MB)

In honor of Mother’s Day, the First Lady hosted an event at the White House this afternoon, joined by Dr. Jill Biden and Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter. She also recognized that today is Military Spouses Appreciation Day and told the spouses and mothers of service members that “we are forever grateful for your service and inspired by your strength.”
Talking about the love and care that mother figures give every day, she said that there is no way to quantify how important mothers are in our lives, asking, “Do 15 or 20 sleepless nights during high school equal a bouquet of flowers?” The First Lady was joined by her own mother, who she described as her “rock.”

She has pulled me up when I’ve stumbled.  She’s pulled me back when I’ve run out of line, talking a little too much.  She’ll snap me up.  She really does push me to be the best woman that I can be, truly, as a professional, and as a mother, and as a friend.  And she has always, always, always been there for me.  And as our family have grown, she’s managed to expand her love for all of us. 
And raising our girls in the White House with my mom -- oh, not going to do this -- (laughter) -- is a beautiful experience.  And the opportunity to have three generations living in the White House, it’s beautiful.  And I’m pretty sure the President is happy about it, too.  In this world there is so much going on, we know that we’re blessed, the Obamas.

First Lady Michelle Obama leans over to kiss her mother, Marian Robinson, while hosting a Mother's Day Tea with White House Mentees, their mothers, and former First Family guests in the State Dining Room of the White House, May 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

The First Lady also discussed the White House Leadership and Mentoring Initiative, which she said was created because she believes “in the importance of giving our young mentees a piece of ourselves.”  She explained that the program is about helping women realize that they can be leaders and create their own opportunities, recognizing that the room was filled by women who had done just that. “[T]here are so many of these stories right here in this room.  Now, they may have different characters and soundtracks, right, but whether you grew up on Bing Crosby, Aretha Franklin or Beyonce, each story here is important,” she said.
She described Mother's Day as “a day to enjoy one another,” and closed by telling her mother, “Thank you, Mommy. I love you.”

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with guests while hosting a Mother's Day Tea with White House Mentees, their mothers, and former First Family guests in the State Dining Room of the White House, May 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Barack Obama hosts a Mothers Day Tea in the State Dining Room of the White House, May 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) 

First Lady Both Savvy Campaigner And Down-Home Everywoman
'Mother's Day' Open Thread
Mother’s Day Reminds African-Americans Of Importance Of Family 
OPINION: Mom-In-Chief Says “This Is How We Do It”
GALLERY: Black Mothers Who Shaped America
What Does Mother’s Day Mean For Single Moms?