Well done, Mum! Mothering Sunday
To help students appreciate what makes a good mother or ‘mother figure’ and to honour all women who have acted as mother figures in their lives.
by Tim and Vicky Scott
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To help students appreciate what makes a good mother or ‘mother figure’ and to honour all women who have acted as mother figures in their lives.
Preparation and materials
- A photo of your mother or a motherly figure or pictures of famous mums and their children.
- You could play a game matching famous children to their mothers, for example:
– Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne, and their mother, Angelina Jolie
– Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, and their mother, Victoria Beckham
– Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, and their mother, the Queen
– Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha), and their mother, Michelle Obama
– Bart, Lisa and Maggie, and their mother Marge Simpson
– Aimee, Kelly and Jack, and their mother Sharon Osbourne. - Prepare a display of these famous mums and their children for the students to see as they enter the assembly.
- As an introduction or concluding song, play ‘Mamma Mia’ by Abba.
- Warning: Be sensitive as you approach this subject. Not everyone’s experience of ‘Mum’ may be positive. Mothering Sunday can be a difficult time for children who do not have a mother living at home. Therefore in this assembly, mother figures in a general sense should be celebrated – this could include stepmothers, foster mothers, aunts, grandmothers and big sisters, as well as mums.
Assembly
- Mother’s Day is known as Mothering Sunday in the UK. Mother’s Day is now celebrated across the world on various different dates. However, in recorded history the role of the mother has been celebrated and honoured since the days of the ancient Greeks.
In the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent. This year it falls on 18 March.
We can use the day not only to honour mothers, but to thank other women who have acted as mother figures in our lives – whether as stepmothers, aunts, big sisters or grandmothers.
Children often give their mothers a gift and card on this day to thank them. Many churches give the children in the congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give their mums as a thank you for their care and love throughout the year. - Our mums mean a lot to us. Not everyone has a mum living with them but all of us have a mother and a mother figure in our lives. All mothers are different. It is so important to value our mothers because they have carried and cared for us since we were in the womb.
Do you remember your mum treasuring the pictures you drew or painted as a child? Do you remember your mum teaching you how to tie your shoelaces before you started school?! (Or did you have ‘Velcro’ shoes!) Quite often a mother will go without so that her children are provided for. This is true selfless love.
If you weren’t blessed with that kind of influence or you grew up without a mum, let today be an occasion to honour the mother figures in your life who have and still do nurture and inspire you.
Of course there will be times when you disagree or become frustrated by your mother, but try to see the big picture – that your mother loves you and would probably do anything possible to help you if you were in trouble. - Mothers can sometimes feel that their work is never done. They’re often exhausted, there’s no big financial reward, and society diminishes motherhood. Why bother being a mum? Why, every year, do millions of women decide they want to become mothers?
Motherhood is a great investment that can have incredible daily rewards. You can never overestimate the influence of a good mother. Tomorrow’s leaders are moulded in the homes of today.
Mothers make an indelible mark on the hearts of their children – their words are never completely forgotten, their touch and the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime. Therapists tell us that the influence of both our parents will affect how we live our lives. - The emotions of motherhood are common to all mums, from the pain and joy of childbirth, to new parents learning to cope with sleepless nights, to learning, one day in the future, to let grown children leave ‘the nest’.
Sadly, for different reasons, some mums give birth to babies they’ll never see. Thank God for those who give these children loving homes and bring them up as their own children. - Sometimes our mothers get things wrong, but God is a perfect parent – a really good mother and father to all of us. God is always there to love us and support us, whatever we do.
Time for reflection
Mothering Sunday gives us an opportunity to remember the mother figures in our lives. Let’s take a minute to think about these important people, the things they do for us, and how we can tell them how much we care.
When was the last time you were encouraged by something your mum said or did for you? (Pause)
When was the last time you said thank you to your mother for all she’s done and does for you? If your mum has distinguished herself as a good role model, remember to thank her. (Pause)
Young ladies, if and when you are a mum, what kind of mark would you like to leave on the lives of your children? (Pause)
Young men, when your girlfriends and wives have children, resolve now to appreciate them for being mums and never forget to say to the mothers of your children, your own mums and mother figures three words, ‘Well done, Mum’.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
we thank you for our mums
and those who have been good mother figures in our lives.
Amen.
Music
‘Mama Mia’ by Abba
