Did a B.C. elementary school seriously just cancel Mother's Day?

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A child may be confused as to whether there is something wrong with traditional celebrations of honouring mothers this time of year, as schools move to replace Mother’s Day with, or celebrate it along with “Grown Ups Who Love Us Day.”

As reported in the Western Standard, parents reported that Centennial Park Elementary had cancelled the school's traditional celebrations of Mother’s Day, and replaced it with the new “inclusive” celebration. When the Western Standard reached out to get more clarification on the decision from the school’s principal, Kari Petzold, including inquiring as to whether children will be permitted to make Mother’s Day cards in school this year, Petzold refused to comment, stating “like I said, no comment. It has nothing to do with you.”

But is the exclusion of celebrating mother’s and motherhood from schools necessary to be inclusive?

I reached out to Mrs. Petzold to try to ask this question and confirm what was reported to date about their schools reported controversial decision to cancel Mother’s Day, and did not hear back.

I did receive a response from my inquiry to the Abbotsford School District about Centennial Park Elementary's Mother’s Day plans, or lack thereof and was told that “school admin and staff discussed this amendment to the celebrated holiday” with the intent of ensuring students at the school have a “safe and inclusive space to celebrate mothers — and grownups.” The district further added that Centennial Park Elementary will “commemorate 'Grownups Who Love Us' day in addition to Mother's Day.”

When I sent a follow up inquiry to ask whether the decision to permit both “Mother’s Day” and “Grown Ups who Love us Day” was determined after the initial meeting discussing the celebration or after receiving some backlash from people concerned about the school cancelling Mother’s Day, I did not receive a response.

With Mission B.C.’s Albert McMahon Elementary school cancelling Mother’s Day and Father’s Day crafts back in 2017, and the provincial government recently removing over 700 “outdated gendered language” terms such as “father, and “he”, and “she” from B.C.’s regulations, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to learn that a schools' staff decided promoting to children that the exclusion of celebrating Mother’s and motherhood this Spring was the appropriate way to be inclusive.

If you believe that mother is not a dirty word, but are something to proudly honour this Mother’s Day, check out our special “Rebel Mom” fashion line for great Mother’s Day gift ideas.

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