Head Space Daily Words...

When it comes to the use of the apostrophe I don't think I'm too bad. Sometimes it is a bit of a stab in the dark but generally I think I'm OK. This week I have questioned the positioning of the apostrophe in Mother's Day. I always thought that Mother's Day was a celebration of motherhood and mothers worldwide and should therefore be Mothers' Day. It is a day for many mothers, not just one single mother - we don't all have the same mother do we? If you go on-line, some sites have the apostrophe before the 's', some after and some don't bother - it's like they have given up on it and that by leaving it out, the issue will just go away. Through basic research I have found out that 'Mothering Sunday' has existed in Britain for centuries, on the fourth Sunday of lent, reflecting people and families coming together; and that 'Mother's Day' was founded around 1911 by an American woman Anna Jarvis, who put the apostrophe after Mother, to make it refer to an individual's mum. Have we merely copied the American spelling as it has become more commercialised, or should we just give up on Mother's/Mothers'/Mothers Day altogether and revert back to calling it 'Mothering Sunday' to avoid any contentious apostrophes? Why I oughtta...