Mother's Day

Mother's Day is today, Saturday 10 May. The stores and restaurants advertising for gifts and meals out is the same (although seems less commercial here), but here in Mexico, they hold splashy events in the schools starring the children to celebrate mothers and their contributions. I only started to realize this when I got a card inviting me to breakfast at Joji's preschool, but didn't understand how seriously they take this until I attended. It was a sit-down breakfast with 3 courses, followed by almost an hour of performances by the kids. Mothers sit and chat around hotel banquet-style big round tables, receive presents delivered by their progeny, and applaud the children who are trotted out by the teachers. I asked a friend that events that take this level of resources and care were normal, and her answer was not, really, only at this school. The nicest part for me was that Joji noticed me and cried "Mama!" and smiled, but didn't run to me or cry. At the most recent celebration similar to this, Joji cried and I had to pick him up and carry him around until the event ended. So his growth and level of comfort at the preschool was apparent, a source of satisfaction for a mother, of course.

Friday was the celebration at Mai's school. We were told to arrive at 12:30 (many arrived on time or early to sit near the stage), and 6th grade ushers greeted and seated each mother. 1st to 4th grade classes (this school is so small there's one classroom for each grade) each performed skits or dances. The 2nd grade skit was very short but well-performed. The director gave a talk. Then the children served the mothers ice cream and cake.

Children also read poems dedicated to mothers, in which they were praised and showered love. Basically it's the same kind of thing children do for their mothers at home in the States. The only difference is, they do it in the school context in front of all the mothers. It was a surprise, and there definitely is a feeling of being pampered. The cult of motherhood in Mexico is a fact of social life. They thoroughly deserve the attention they get on Mother's Day, I feel, because of the machista society and what mothers have to do daily to raise their children here. The work at home is serious, because there are fewer conveniences. Not to mention the overt sexism and epidemic domestic violence (my friend Perla says 2 in 7 women are battered). And there's the food - Mexican food is fabulous, most of all home-cooked food, but the nature of the meal requires that someone serves everybody else. Tortillas must be served piping hot, as well as the main dish and rice if any. Frequently people make flavored water to serve with the meal, with guava, watermelon, melon, hibiscus flower, or rice. Mexican food is fabulous, but is a slave maker, in my opinion.

The photos above are from Mai's school party. At Joji's preschool celebration I took mostly videos, which I'll try to post later. From the top going left to right: 1) mothers seated before the performances started; 2) the first grader's performance, the boy in the front is Manuel, one of Mai's carpool mates and very funny; 3) Mai sitting with her classmates after the performance; 4) Giampiero Aguila, the Italian director (principal) of the school who is super great, knows every one of the 80 kids very well and helps us cope when Mai was having a hard time last semester; 5) me and Perla, a friend who has a 4th grader daughter, in the papier mache well made for the 4th grade skit.