Anyone Else Hate Father's Day, Mother's Day, and all days that...

...have been seized by the throat and appropriated for pious intoning by politicians, advertising campaigns, etc.?

Don't get me wrong. I love symbolism, greeting cards, commemorations, honoring people, and all that. But I agree with the late Eda LeShan, who wrote, "But what I hate is sentimentality at the cash register...I deeply resent being told on what day I ought to have told my mother I loved her." LeShan had the same mind-set concerning Father's Day, and she also hated New Year's Eve: "I don't think there's anything more depressing than feeling you have to have a good time even if it kills you." My late father shared those last sentiments in a big way!

Again, the issues here are the twin factors of societal pressure and commerce. For instance, I love Christmas but hate that advertisers and radio stations now begin their onslaught in early November or before. It's as if to say the only meaning here is attached to how much you spend or how many times you play "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." :puke:

Again, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against retailers, restaurants, greet card companies, and anyone else who stands to make some extra business. I know this is a bad time, and I know how hard people are working. But holidays...oy, they can be remarkably devoid of joy. And sometimes Mother's Day and Father's Day are painful reminders to those who missed out on having kids, those who have lost their parents, or -- perhaps worst of all -- those who have a complicated or nonexistent relationship with parents.

the bane of the single :(

or whatever you like. Beats a relationship any day. I give my cat extra treats too.

i just go do something else :shrug: it's depressing for a minute, than "ah, fuck it" and i don't think about it.

luckily my roommates (who are a couple) aren't very lovey-dovey, so it's not a big deal

Why do we have to have a Valentine's Day to EMPHASIZE it?!"

Without them, none of us would be here.

Some can't have children and for whatever reason can't adopt.

Others never get a chance to find love... (so much for valentine's day)

I dunno.

I'm just suggesting we don't all have feelings and experience in lockstep, and that things are overcommercialized, neither of which are new sentiments.

I'd also suggest that Father's Day and Mother's Day can be painful for some people, as can Valentine's Day.

Personally, I'm rabid about my family and do not need a day set a side to express my affection and love for my parents. I'm sure some people do, though, and that's cool.

I do however have problems with the marketing and money-grubbing of these holidays - buying crap for someone means you love them. You have to get people presents or they won't know you love them. Yeah, get mom some diamonds that a handful of African children died for on Mother's Day - that's great and makes all sorts of sense. Ehhh, maybe I digress a bit.
I tell my parents I love them every time I talk to them and take every opportunity to thank them for everything they've done for me.

Valentine's Day and *shudder* Sweetest Day make me want to projectile vomit all over the place though.

The constant pressure to buy, buy, buy. The years are now driven by one consumer holiday after another. They all run into each other in a big blur, because heaven forbid we let people forget that their sole purpose in life is to support retail.
On the other hand, I would hate to work retail and have to deal with it all the time too.

:grouphug:

I can't imagine how tough it was today.

:(

It's the big, high-pressure ones (Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween especially) that I dread.

My parents are both gone, but the kids come to visit. They bring a little gift (a card, flowers, etc) and we have a nice dinner. It's just nice to spend the day with them. We don't make a big deal out of it, which is fine.

I can see why it's not an easy or a pleasant day for some.
The worst is for people who were abused by a father or mother, all the day is is a reminder of the abuser.
Ugly stuff.