Happy Mother’s Day

Today, I hope you’re having a great celebration with your mom or are remembering her if she is no longer with us.

My mom, Ruth L. Slingsby, photo above, was a hard-working, supportive mom. I miss her every day. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 89.

Here are some facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2024:

• Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day in 1908 before it was officially signed into law as an official U.S. holiday in 1914.

• There are more than 2 billion mothers around the world.

• About 385,000 babies are born every day worldwide.

• More phone calls, about 122 million, are made on Mother’s Day than any other day or the year.

• Eighty-four percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the holiday.

• Consumers plan to spend an average of about $254 per person on Mother’s Day this year.

• The total spending for the holiday is estimated to be $33.5 billion.

• Big-ticket items such as jewelry or electronics are the biggest areas of spending.

• Three-quarters of those celebrating Mother’s Day plan to send flowers and a greeting card.

• Spending on a Mother’s Day dinner or brunch is increasing with 59 percent of Americans having a meal out.

• Mother’s Day shoppers, 48 percent, will focus on finding items that are unique or different, or creating a special memory, 43 percent.  

• Fertility rates decreased 48 percent for women in the United States ages 20-24 from 1990 to 2022. For the same time period, fertility rates increased 73 percent for women ages 35-39.

• About seven out of 10 women ages 20 to 64 who are mothers to children under the age of 18 in the U.S. are employed.
• Out of every 100 women in the U.S. ages 45-50, 17 had no children, 19 had one child, 36 had two children, and 29 had three or more children.

• Of women giving birth last year, four out of 10 had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Nine out of 10 completed high school or higher.

Best wishes on Mother’s Day everyone. It’s a good time to celebrate moms that are so important to families everywhere.