NEW YORK—Celebrating mothers and motherhood has been a part of human history for pretty much as long as it has existed, but it wasn’t until 1914 that Mother’s Day actually became an official holiday in the United States. The first American Mother’s Day happened in 1908, when West Virginia woman Anna Jarvis wanted a way to honor the sacrifices that mothers make for their children, History reports. Jarvis’ own mom had died three years prior, so she organized the first Mother’s Day celebration as a tribute to her, at a Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The holiday took off, and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day throughout the country.

Jarvis herself remained unmarried and child free for her whole life, and actually grew to denounce the holiday she’d created. History reports that Jarvis had imagined Mother’s Day to be a personal celebration between mothers and their families, not a commercial holiday involving gifts—especially cards, flowers and candles, which she openly spoke out against. Jarvis passed away in 1948, and by that time she had even actively lobbied the U.S. government to have Mother’s Day removed from the calendar for good.

Of course, Mother’s Day did not die with Jarvis, but her vision of the day is a good one to keep in our hearts and minds as we approach the holiday this weekend. Mother’s Day can be a beautiful day for some, and an incredibly tough day for others, but love and family truly remain as the most important things to celebrate on the second Sunday in May.

Mother’s Day can also be a day to champion feminist causes, or underscore the important of taking care of women’s health. In 1968, Coretta Scott King “used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children,” History reports, and “in the 1970s women’s groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.”

Similarly, for the optical industry, Mother’s Day is a day to send love to the mother figures in our lives, but it is also a great day to highlight just how important women’s eye health is. April was Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, but our advocacy and care for women should carry over into Mother’s Day and beyond. This weekend, we’re taking a look at some ways the optical community is celebrating Mother’s Day, as well as some important reminders about women’s eye health.


The Mondottica USA team is celebrating motherhood by sharing advice throughout the weekend. Image via mondotticausa on Instagram.



Some ECPs, like Optyx in New York, are holding special sales for Mother’s Day—a great way to spoil the mother figure in your life, while also taking care of her health. Image via optyxnewyork on Instagram.



In San Francisco, the Invision Optometry team is offering a special Mother’s Day gift package, which includes a styling session. Image van invisionsf on Instagram.



Of course, for everyone who is able to, nothing beats spending Mother’s Day with the mother figures in your life. Image via connecticutvision on Instagram.



Some moms and mother figures love makeup, and surely many of them will be receiving some luxurious makeup-related gifts this weekend, so watching out for women’s eye health is just as important now as ever. Here, Hardeep Kataria, OD, FAAO, goes over some potentially dangerous beauty trends. Image via dr.hardeep.kataria on Instagram.



The team at Total Vision, with locations in California, also highlighted just how versatile an eyecare related gift is—it’s beautiful and luxurious, but can also help ensure mother figures can watch their loved ones grow up clearly and safely. Image via total_vision_ca on Instagram.