HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

by Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Currents.
Thank Your Mother here »

Thank You Mom

Mother’s Day is a day to remember our mothers. Among American Indians, we realize the strength women, and mothers in particular, provide us. It is the American Indian women who still keep the fires burning in our lives.

For those of us who are still blessed to have our mothers still with us, it is a great time to share time with her and just let her know you appreciate and honor her. To those who have lost their mothers, it is a time to remember the influence your mother had in your lives.

However, you spend Mother’s Day take time to reflect . . .

The following facts about mothers in the United States were provided by the U.S. Census Bureau:

Mother’s Day:

The instrumental individual behind the established Mother’s Day in America was Anna Jarvis, who organized observance in Grafton, West Virginia and Philadelphia on May 10, 1908.The movement to honor and celebrate mothers got steam around the country. By 1914, she convinced the US Congress to designate the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day Facts:

85.4 million Mothers

Was the estimated numbers in the United States in 2008.

54%

Percentage of 15 - to 44 - year - old women who were mothers in 2008.

82%

Percentage of women 40 to 44 who had given birth as of 2008. In 1976, 90% percent of women in that age group had given birth.

25.1

Average age if women in 2008 when they gave birth for the first time, up from 25.0 years in 2006 and 2007. The increase in the mean age from 2007 to 2008 reflects, in part, the relatively large decline in births to women under age 25 compared with the small decline for women in the 25 - 39 age group.

40%

Percentage of births that were the mother’s first in 2008. Another 32 percent were the second-born; 17 percent, third child; and 7 percent, fourth child.

42,746

Number of births in 2008 that did not occur in hospitals. Of these, 28,357 were in a residence (home) and 12,014 were in a freestanding birthing center.

32.6

Number of twin births per 1,000 total births in 2008, the highest rate on record.

July

The month with highest number of births, with 375,384 in 2008.

Tuesday

The most common day to deliver, with an average of 13,415 births taking place on Tuesdays in 2008.

Jacob and Isabella

The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively, in 2009.

61%

The proportion of mothers with a recent birth who were in the labor force increased from 57 percent in 2006 to 61 percent in 2008. Among states with higher than average levels of new mothers who unemployed, the highest proportions were in Alabama (10 percent) and Michigan (9 percent), along with several states in the southeast United States.

777,817

Number of child care centers across the country in 2008. These include 74,920 centers employing 884,235 workers and another 702,897 self-employed people or other businesses without paid employees. Many mothers turn to these centers to help juggle motherhood and careers.