The Real Story Behind Mother’s Day

The Real Story Behind Mother’s Day

From SmartHERNews by Jenna Lee

May 8, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

This episode explores the surprising history of Mother's Day and the contributions of Ann and Anna Jarvis.

The Surprising History of Mother’s Day — and What Its Founder Wanted Us to Remember Why do we celebrate Mother’s Day? The answer starts with two remarkable American women: Ann Jarvis, a mother who worked to improve health and sanitation in poor Appalachian communities, and her daughter Anna Jarvis, who never had children of her own but helped create one of America’s most recognized holidays. In this SmartHER News episode originally recorded in 2025, Jenna shares the little-known history of Mother’s Day, from Ann Jarvis’ “Mother Friendship Days” during the Civil War — an effort to help reunite politically divided families — to Anna Jarvis’ national campaign to honor mothers and their role in American life. In 1914, Congress approved Mother’s Day and President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law, encouraging Americans to display the U.S. flag in honor of mothers. Anna Jarvis also favored carnations, her mother’s favorite flower, as a symbol of the day. But the story takes a surprising turn: as Mother’s Day quickly became commercialized, Anna Jarvis fought against the holiday she helped create and even pushed to have it rescinded. Jenna also reflects on modern motherhood…

People in this episode

Host: Jenna Lee

Topics covered

  • Mother's Day
  • history
  • American culture
  • motherhood
  • entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • Mother's Day
  • Ann Jarvis
  • Anna Jarvis
  • history
  • celebration
  • commercialization
  • motherhood

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Congress

More episodes of SmartHERNews

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the SmartHERNews podcast page.