‘If Mum’s were flowers, I’d pick you.’

GrandtanteJE65, it’s generally been Mother’s (Mothers’?) day in England for decades now.

As far as I remember it was Mothering Sunday when as a small child in the 50s I used to go to Sunday School, where we were once given real bunches of violets to take home to our mothers.
I remember being disappointed the subsequent year, when it was just a sort of postcard with a picture of violets.

Yes, Yammy, I thought something similar.
It’s taught in Y2, but not necessarily learned in Y2.

PECS

And the possesive apostrophe is taught in Y2!

Is tried to be taught. My GC is in year 4 and still does not know how to use it she has joined the family club.

Have you ever thought how uncomfortable and illiterate you make people feel when you comment on their spelling or punctuation?
Earlier today someone started their post by apologising for being Dyslexic. Why should we have to? We accept transgender and lots of other things these days.So Dyslexcia and dyspraxia should be to.
Don't you think that people have tried to teach us to spell and punctuate our writing in the received English way since we started school.
I could read before I went to school, could probably read a book in a third of the time it would take you. Went to college at one of the three best universities in England at the time . BUT and it is a big one I cannot spell and my grammar is poor.
It is inherited and unfortunately I have passed it on to the next two generations in my family.
I have relations who are exactly the same. If I had a physical disability it would be acknowledged and sympathy given, just because it can't be seen but only manifests itself in the written word does not mean it does not exist.
Also before you remind me never start a sentence with but.

Better give the auto check a lesson then.

Mothering Sunday is the English expresssion. Other parts of the English speaking world call it Mother's Day.

As to the apostrophe - for some odd reason no-one seems to teach or understand the rule any longer.

It is quite simply 's if the thing mentioned is owned by one person as in "The boy's books are on the table." and s' as in "The boys' books are on the table. if what is meant is "The books belong to two or more boys are on the table".

The only difficulty is where to place the apostrophe if the noun denoting the subject ends on an s. Do you write "James' book" or "James'es book"? (Both are considered correct these days, although I was taught that only "James' book" was right.)

An apostrophe is NEVER used just because the noun is plural but only to denote that something belongs to someone.

"The mothers stood chatting in the playground on Parents' Day" is correct NOT "The mothers' or the mother's" as in my sentence they are not mentioned as owning anything.

If one of my children had given me the card I would have been thrilled to bits at the sentiment and ignored the apostrophe.

Witzend

Yammy

I miss read this as an invite to say what flower reminded you of your mother. Which would have been really good.
Instead it is yet another moan about punctuation. Let it go ladies we are turning into a load of old fossils quick enough.

This is Pedants’ Corner! If I’d posted it in Chat you might have had a point.
And dare I add that ‘quick enough’ makes me wince? ‘Quickly enough’ or ‘fast enough’, please.
Thank you.

Even the auto-check didn't pick that one up. You must have gone to a school that was hotter on grammar than mine, they were looking for content. DH did and it was only ten miles away from mine, he did study Latin and says it always helps with being succinct and good grammar.

FannyCornforth

JaneJudge

What flower reminds you of your Mother Yammy?

My Mum is like a Freesia

Aah. That’s lovely ?

For my mum I would have chosen Sweet peas ,small,plentyful and colourful and not too flamboyant. Always there to help and always smelt of Chanel no 5.
For my MIL I would have chosen a dark Red Rose Beautiful to look at, always a perfectionist, enjoying attention amongst other blooms, but with very sharp thorns.
Myself a bit of a Wall flower not flamboyant or bothered about being noticed but pleasant on closer inspection. How about you Jane Judge?

JaneJudge

What flower reminds you of your Mother Yammy?

My Mum is like a Freesia

Aah. That’s lovely ?

Hmm.

Could the thinking be that whereas Mothers' Day may be the day for all mothers we only get one each, so for each (nuclear) family there is only one Mother's Day?

Yammy

I miss read this as an invite to say what flower reminded you of your mother. Which would have been really good.
Instead it is yet another moan about punctuation. Let it go ladies we are turning into a load of old fossils quick enough.

This is Pedants’ Corner! If I’d posted it in Chat you might have had a point.
And dare I add that ‘quick enough’ makes me wince? ‘Quickly enough’ or ‘fast enough’, please.
Thank you.

What flower reminds you of your Mother Yammy?

My Mum is like a Freesia

I miss read this as an invite to say what flower reminded you of your mother. Which would have been really good.
Instead it is yet another moan about punctuation. Let it go ladies we are turning into a load of old fossils quick enough.

Also if you pick a flower it dies

I really wanted to write die's but I just couldn't do it

Witzend

As seen on a Mother’s (Mothers’?) Day card.

What I don’t understand (apart from the fact that they evidently don’t bother with proofreaders) is why they thought the apostrophe was needed in Mums, but not in flowers.
A case of just stick them in at random and hope they might be right?

As someone - it might have been P. J. O'Rourke, but I'm not sure - once said: the apostrophe is simply an act of kindness to the reader to warn them that an 's' is coming up

The hyphen is the new apostrophe. Just be grateful it didn’t say Mother’s-Day.

I am ok with calling it Mothers' Day, but Alexa has started reminding me about it the day after it happened.

Whenever I type its on my phone, Autocorrect inserts an apostrophe, as in fact it has just tried to do on my iPad. It's a conspiracy!

And the possesive apostrophe is taught in Y2!

I'm afraid I have to admit to being a pedant regarding apostrophes, so grrrr.....
I'm sure we all know that it's Mothering Sunday (is it when people returned to their mother church?) but most of us call it Mother's Day as that's what it now is.

Agreed, Nannarose. Apart from it being the "proper" name for the day, it does away with the need for any apostrophes!

Apostrophes do seem to be used rather randomly these days e.g. DVD's or apple's.
I managed to get my market greengrocer to abandon his beloved apostrophes but it took months and he still expects to be congratulated every time I visit.

Maybe, but my pedantry is that I do not recognise Mothers' Day (wherever the apostrophe). Some of you outside the UK will have your own version, but to me, here, it is Mothering Sunday.