Happy Mother's Day ....

As we all knows that base on Hallmark Calendar, Mother’s day is fall in May. But as Indonesian, our Mother’s Day is fall in 22 December.

It was started on 1912, inspired by Indonesian Woman heroes, then followed by the 1st Indonesian Women Congress at 22 December 1928. The purpose of declared that day as “Mother’s Day” totally different with Hallmark Calendar (America and Canada), because Mother’s Day in Indonesia was to remind Indonesian Women of their right, to have better education, to have a “place” in every Men’s world.

The question here, do we all know the meaning or the purpose of Indonesian Mother’s Day ?

I don’t want to be pessimistic but I’m quite sure that even my children don’t know about the purpose of Indonesian Mother’s Day.

In their mind, in their understanding, Mother’s Day, is the day they have to give thanks to their mother because of their sacrifice, no one even have an idea that Indonesian Mother’s Day was commemorate to Indonesian Women struggle of their right.

So, is it wrong that our children or the worst, the-grown-up-people, miss-understood the meaning of Indonesian Mother’s Day ? Just because Hallmark Mother’s Day which commemorates the stay-at-home-mom was less meaning compare to Indonesian Mother’s Day ?

My answer is No, not at all ….

Not because I’m not appreciate my ancestor sacrifice, in fact, I do thank them for give us the opportunity to make Indonesian Woman equal with Indonesian Man. Even though not all, because part of Indonesian tradition, do not allow woman have an equal position with man.

The reason is if I don’t have my traditional “grand mother” who doesn’t have a chance to fight for their right like the Indonesian Women Warrior, who have their own way to made my mother like she is now, I will be like the women that I met in Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

I’m a working mother and I don’t have time to join any women organization. I believe there are million Indonesian women out there which have the same ‘title’ like me or the-stay-at-home-mother “title” which don’t have enough time to still fight with all women’s issue.

It doesn’t mean that we forgot the root of Indonesian Mother’s Day and it doesn’t mean also that we were not as good the current women warrior. Neither that our sacrifice was less than the women who still fight for all women’s issue.

In fact, we, the working mother and the stay at home mother, have our own way to fight with all women’s issue.

So, do we have to flip the meaning ?

No, we don’t have to. Otherwise we don’t have a day to thank our mother, working mother or stay at home mother, for their sacrifice.

And how about the history, the root of our Indonesian Mother’s Day ? How to bring back the meaning of Indonesian Mother’s Day ?

I just remember my youngest daughter question this morning, when the priest gives his preaches of Mother’s Day, “what is the difference within America Mother’s Day and ours, Bunda ?”

The difference is “our Mother’s Day was based on our Indonesian Women Warrior sacrifice in order for me and other women can have better education, equal opportunity with men in every men’s position and to understand their right.

Or in other words, we bring back the root by telling them the history, because history is one of the ways to make the spirit life.

So, like the text I have from my best friend on 22 December 2007 …

Happy Mother’s Day to all my women friends who has become the best mother for their children

I will say the same things too … stay-at-home-mother, working mother, the warrior, they have their own portion to fight for all the women's issue, therefore they have the right to have our appreciation.

Happy Mother’s Day to the entire woman …