by Joan Inong

Created on: June 22, 2009

Twice a year, we have days that are especially dedicated to our parents. On these days, we show our love and appreciation for the people who have taken care of us and who have loved us all our lives. But, do we need these days to show our appreciation?

One reason why some people do not think that Mother's Day and Father's Day should not have any bearing on people's lives is that they think these days were created by the greeting card companies. These people also believe that other holidays and celebrations, such as Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and even Christmas, were commercialized and created solely for making money through cards, decorations, and gifts.

If we need just one day to appreciate each of our parents, then does that mean that we don't appreciate them during the rest of the year? This complaint is valid, since we often feel that we have to purchase something for our parents when these days come, even if we just visited them or gave them a present yesterday or the week before.

A similar complaint to this is about Valentine's Day. If this day was created to show our loved ones how much we care, then do other days matter? Why don't we treat everyday as if it were Valentine's Day? Should we give greeting card makers and other gift makers the benefit of the doubt? Should we spend our hard-earned cash on gifts that really, underneath it all, don't mean anything when it seems as though we are forced to buy them because of the "special" occasion?

In short, we don't need Mother's Day or Father's Day. If we truly needed these supposed special days, then that would mean that we don't need to do anything for our parents the rest of the time. That is an idea which is unintelligible. Appreciation, for it to truly work, has to be performed every day. We can't expect that one day will make up for the rest of the days that we aren't doing any appreciating. For example, we can't give a gift on one day to make up for the many times that we don't see our parents. They won't see your thoughts or love in the gift; instead, they will see it as a pathetic offering for what you haven't been doing as their child.

If we want to truly appreciate our parents, we have to do so on more than two occasions per year. We don't have to do it through cards or presents. We can show our appreciation by giving them good company and letting them know that our relationship with them is stronger than ever.

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