Yesterday saw the UAE recognise and celebrate mums. In fact, in the Arab world, there are over 10 countries that all celebrate the importance of mums on this day.
The history of it in the Arab world originates from Egypt. It was introduced in Egypt by a journalist called Mustafa Amin and was first celebrated in 1956. The practice has since been adopted by many Arab countries.
It’s not just in the UAE where mothers are held in high regard with their own special day, and some origins of the date for celebrations are connected to religious calendars. This year in the UK, ‘Mothering Sunday’ was celebrated on 10th March. In America this year, it will be 12th May. According to Wikipedia, over 40 countries worldwide celebrate Mother’s Day at some point in the year.
For me, Mother’s Day was instilled in me from an early age as an important moment where I had to take time to show my gratitude for the day-to-day love and care that mothers selflessly demonstrate year in, year out. They put themselves at the back of the queue to make sure their own children and wider family come first. Recently, our Early Years team had their special day ‘Mothers in Our Lives’. The students made little gifts and messages and carried out acts of kindness.
In my own family, I have a mantra about mums. When my children were younger and having a moment, I would often sit them down and ask them, “How many mums have you got?” The answer would come, “One”. “Well then, that means they are unique. They are the only one in the whole wide world. That means they are special and as such you need to make sure the way you are treating your mum makes her feel special.” As my own mum said to me once – “You can’t get another one in Waitrose”.
So, it doesn’t matter when we celebrate mums, but that we do. Over the break, why don’t we all take a moment to thank our mums with some kind words and an act of kindness. Let's continue to live our BIS Abu Dhabi values outside of school.
Alan Cocker
Principal
The British International School Abu Dhabi
