In countries like Bangladesh, celebrating women for their sacrifices, labour, and emotional contributions has never been part of our mainstream culture.
Mothers are respected in words, but often overlooked in practice. Their work is considered a duty rather than an achievement. Their sacrifices are expected rather than appreciated.
This is why Mother’s Day should not be dismissed in our society as merely a Western celebration or a commercial event. Rather, it should become an important cultural reminder: Mothers deserve recognition, gratitude, and celebration.
As someone who grew up in the 1990s, I clearly remember that birthdays themselves were not widely celebrated in many Bangladeshi households. Many mothers from that generation do not even remember their own birthdays because nobody around them considered those dates important enough to preserve. Celebrations were rare luxuries, not family traditions.
Yet, culture evolves.
Today, birthdays are celebrated almost everywhere in our society. Families organize parties, schools arrange birthday activities, and social media reminds us to appreciate loved ones publicly.
What was once uncommon has now become normal. This transformation proves that cultural practices can change when society collectively decides that certain emotions and gestures matter.
Mother’s Day can follow the same path.
The important question is: Who should lead this celebration?
The answer begins inside the family
Fathers should be the first people to celebrate Mother’s Day. Children observe their parents carefully and unconsciously learn values from their actions.
When a father sincerely appreciates the mother of his children, whether through simple words, a family meal, flowers, or acts of care, children absorb a powerful lesson: Mothers deserve acknowledgment and respect.
A child who watches his father thank his mother grows up understanding emotional responsibility. A daughter who sees her mother appreciated learns that she too deserves to be valued.
For children, celebrating Mother’s Day within families is not about expensive gifts or social media posts; it is about creating a culture of gratitude at home.
Children should also be taught to appreciate the women around them who nurture and support families beyond biological motherhood. In many families, aunties and close relatives often play the role of caregivers, emotional supporters, and protectors.
Some of them may even be childless, yet they dedicate immense love and care to nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
A culture of appreciation should therefore extend beyond mothers alone and recognize all women whose affection and sacrifices help shape the lives of children.
Educational institutions have a major responsibility
Schools and colleges teach mathematics, science, and language, but they also shape moral consciousness. If educational institutions can celebrate Independence Day, Language Day, or various cultural festivals, they can certainly create awareness about the value of motherhood and caregiving.
Students should learn that respecting mothers is not limited to obedience; it includes appreciation, emotional support, and recognition of sacrifice.
A simple classroom discussion about mothers’ contributions can have a lasting impact on young minds. Schools could organize essay competitions, speeches, art exhibitions, or appreciation programs where students express gratitude toward their mothers.
These activities may appear symbolic, but symbols influence culture. Many social values become stronger because institutions repeatedly reinforce them.
Educational spaces should therefore help normalize the idea that celebrating mothers is not embarrassing, unnecessary, or “foreign,” but rather a meaningful social practice.
Most importantly, institutions must teach boys and girls equally that caregiving and emotional labour are valuable forms of work. Far too often, societies praise economic achievement while ignoring the unpaid labour that sustains families.
Mothers deserve recognition not only for giving birth but also for holding together homes, relationships, and emotional stability.
Workplaces and organizations must play their part
Today, countless women manage careers while simultaneously carrying the burden of motherhood. Working mothers often experience double pressure: Professional expectations outside the home and domestic responsibilities inside it.
Despite these challenges, workplaces rarely acknowledge their contributions in meaningful ways.
Companies and institutions should actively celebrate working mothers through recognition programs, flexible policies, and supportive environments.
A simple gesture of appreciation from an employer can strengthen dignity and belonging.
More importantly, organizations should move beyond symbolic celebration and adopt policies that genuinely support mothers, such as maternity benefits, flexible schedules, childcare support, and safe work environments.
Critics sometimes argue that Mother’s Day is overly commercialized. Respecting mothers should not be limited to one day of flowers and advertisements. In some places, that criticism is fair.
However, symbolic days still matter because they create visibility. They remind society to pause and acknowledge people whose work is often ignored.
We should remember cultural practices are rarely perfect in their beginning stages. Even birthdays and weddings have become commercialized, yet they still carry emotional meaning.
The real value of Mother’s Day depends on how families and societies choose to observe it.
In Bangladesh, Mother’s Day can become more than a trend imported from abroad. It can become a social statement.
It can teach children gratitude, encourage fathers to model respect, push institutions to build empathy, and remind workplaces to value caregiving labour.
Most importantly, it can help normalize appreciation for women whose contributions have historically been treated as obligations rather than achievements.
Md Inzamul Haque is a lecturer at the Department of English, Southeast University. He can be reached at [email protected].
