Mother’s Day. It’s a sweet day, one to celebrate the person who brought us into this world. It’s sweet, of course, to pamper your mother with only the most gourmet of home-made boiled eggs and the most precious of handmade cards asserting “I love mommy.” And it’s always sweet for your mother to look at you and go (at least for about 30 seconds) “I raised a good kid.”

Sweet up until you realize the undeniable: Mother’s Day, like Valentine’s Day, Halloween and even Christmas, has fallen into the bottomless pit of commercialization. Department stores, greeting card companies (yes, I’m talking to you, Hallmark), and flower companies have a field day during the time leading up to Mother’s Day, because they know what’s coming. A flurry of flower-buying, card-scribbling, chocolate box-wrapping, frenzied sons and daughters who try to make it look like they put their heart and soul into a five dollar card.  

Because nothing says “thank you for bringing me into this world and supporting me my entire life you have always been there and I’m immensely grateful for all that you’ve done for me” like giving your mother some tulips once a year. And making 1-800-flowers ecstatic while we’re at it.

If we’re truly grateful for our mothers, if we truly mean the words we spend 10 minutes formulating into a card once a year, and if we truly love her, shouldn’t she know it every day of the year?

Why is celebrating arguably the most important person in our lives relegated to a single day in the middle of May?

Indeed, having just one day to celebrate your mother eliminates any guilt we may feel throughout the year from ignoring our mother. We bought some tulips in bulk on Mother’s Day. We’re good for the year.

Thus, we all splurge on our mothers once a year and neglect her the rest of the time, because that’s the meaning of true love in 2017.

To all mothers: I’m apologizing for the world. While we can’t give you everything you dream about, the least we can do is show our appreciation more often than once a year.

To the greedy money-grabbers (still talking to you, Hallmark): it’s true what they say. You can’t take it with you when you’re gone. And when money becomes more important than love and respect, that’s a big problem.

To the sons and daughters of the world: Listen to this message. Cherish your mother every day. Tell her you love her every day. Don’t wake up once a year and say, “Oh yeah. Her.”

Most importantly, don’t let time slip away from you. Because the memories you make with her now will stay with you forever.