National Mother-in-Law Day on the fourth Sunday in October honors that special woman who brought the love of your life into this world.
#MotherInLawDay
Like Mother’s Day in May, this day celebrates the other mom in many people’s lives. She makes room for her expanding family. While opening her arms wide, she babysits and gives advice. From swapping holidays to putting extra leaves in the table, the mother-in-law aims for her children to be whole and secure.
Sometimes, it takes years to develop a relationship with your mother-in-law. In other cases, an immediate bond is made. When their children are happy and healthy in their relationships, it makes their jobs as mothers-in-law easy. All they have to do is love their children.
The day honors all that mothers-in-law do to support their children’s families. From the newest to the more mature relationships, each and every family member knows the mother-in-law is a vital part of the family.
HOW TO OBSERVE MOTHER-IN-LAW DAY
Whether you’re close to your mother-in-law or not, celebrate her. Even the smallest gesture will make her day. Offer to take her to her favorite restaurant. Ask her what task needs doing around the house. Play her favorite card came with her. Better still, ask her to teach you to do something only she knows how to do – making that special recipe, editing a resume or speaking in public. Be sure to compliment her, too. Mothers-in-law will appreciate you thinking of them. Smile for family pictures! You know what makes her happy. Be sure to use #MotherInLawDay when posting on social media.
NATIONAL MOTHER-IN-LAW DAY HISTORY
Gene Howe, the editor of a local Amarillo newspaper, initiated this holiday in honor of mothers-in-law. Modeled after Mother’s Day, the first observance was celebrated on March 5, 1934, in Amarillo, Texas.
Through the years, celebrants observed the day on various days. In later years, the Mother-in-Law Day Committee developed and selected honorees each year. Then in the 1970s, the American Society of Florists proclaimed the last Sunday in October to be National Mother-In-Law-Day. The date has been observed since.