On Mother’s Day, An Apostrophe Lesson

I was thinking today about Mother’s Day. And I wondered if I should be thinking about Mothers’ Day. I knew I wasn’t thinking about Mothers Day. (Not that I haven’t seen that far too often.)

Here’s the difference: If I’m celebrating Mother’s Day (singular possessive), I am celebrating my mother. If I am celebrating Mothers’ Day (plural possessive), I am celebrating all mothers. If I’m celebrating Mothers Day (just plural, no possessive) I have no idea what I’m celebrating.

Why is it Mother’s Day? Because when it was established in 1912, Anna Jarvis, who filed the trademark for Mother’s Day and founded the Mother’s Day International Association,

“She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.”

(From Wikipedia)

Now you know.

Happy Mother’s Day to the two mothers to whom I belong. Though I am not meant to commemorate all mothers, I send out greetings to all of you as well.