By Alex Nicoll

Staff Writer

Let’s talk about moms.

More specifically the institution we call Mother’s Day.

I hate this holiday.

Now do not get me wrong, I love my mom. I am a self-proclaimed “momma’s boy” and that will never change. My problem is that society has set aside only one day for moms.

The idea of the holiday in itself sounds good on paper, but execution leaves something to be desired.

Sons, daughters and husbands flood convenience stores to buy the typical Hallmark cards with those cute little messages that are supposed to express our love for our mom in 15 words or less. If they do not do that, they attack jewelry stores and spend thousands on pieces of jewelry we think will make her happy (it usually does, unless you’re my mom, who I swear is the most frugal person alive and who has a panic attack whenever the bill comes when we are out to eat).

Those sentiments are great, but a staple of the holiday is for the rest of the family to take over the “duties” we assume moms have, such as cleaning, preparing dinner or washing clothes, or other activities associated with moms.

For a day, moms are treated like queens but after the 24 hour period we expect them to resume their domestic and motherly duties.

Helping our moms should be a year-long endeavour. In a survey conducted by DIY Father and Pro Flowers, they found that 83 percent of dads take over mother responsibilities for the day.

Why not do this on a regular basis?

I know people that help their moms day-in and day-out and I am sure that everybody helps them in the some way or another; however, the emphasis we put on taking all the burden of our moms for the one day is wrong.

I will be the first to say I am a perpetrator of this offense. When my mom wakes up on Mother’s Day, I make sure to do  three things: offer my help with anything, spend time with her and most importantly avoid doing anything that would cause her frustrations (and trust me when I say I cause her headaches quite often).

But once Monday rolls around, life goes back to normal in the sense that she usually will have to ask me for help around the house or to run errands for her.

Moms do so much for us and they deserve respect and our help at a moment’s notice. Taking them for granted and only realizing their importance once a year is a crime in itself.