Sunday, 1 October 2023

Mothers day

 


What do you see in the picture, what is happening, where are they, how do you think these two people know each other and can you think of an explanation for the story?

In Thailand, Mothers day is celebrated a bit differently to the UK. On August 12th each year, people usually have the day off and schools will hold special Mothers day ceremonies. At the ceremony, children kneel in front of their mother and present them with Jasmine flowers to show their love, respect and appreciation. 

That is a lovely celebration to have, but what is the problem with it, who does it exclude, what do the organisers assume about all families if they hold such a ceremony? Do all families have a mum? How would a child feel at the celebration if their family did not have a mum?

Nong Cream is a 11 year old girl who was adopted by single dad. How do you think she felt as the ceremony got closer and closer and she saw all her friends preparing?

What did her dad do on the day?

Dad came dressed up as a mum on the day. As soon as she saw him, Nong Cream leapt in to his arms. You can see a heart-warming short tick tock video in the link above.

Dad said he had no regrets doing this because he knew the most important thing was that his daughter was not left out. He said, "Personally, I'm not ashamed because I love my child."

 Nong Cream said, "This year's mother's day I want to say I love my father. Thank you father for raising me and making me happy. This life doesn't feel like a lack of anything."

- How do you think dad felt as he walked in to the school wearing a dress?
- look at the faces of the people around him, are they accepting of his decision?
- why didn't dad just show up as himself, why did he choose to wear a dress?
- is that because all mums wear a dress? 
- Can dads wear dresses if they want? Are clothes gender-specific?
- so, did he have to wear a dress to support his daughter?
- Do you think the dress was a symbol, was it important, would the gesture have had the same impact if dad had worn a suit?
- the school could have said he was being disrespectful to mums and refused to let him in; do you think there was a conversation at the door when he turned up?
-"Personally, I'm not ashamed because I love my child." suggests there might be some shame. Where might that shame come from?
- "This year's mother's day I want to say I love my father." can you celebrate a father on mother's day? What can we learn from Nong Cream from this statement? 
- "This life doesn't feel like a lack of anything." what does she mean?
- In 2023 should we be having separate celebrations for mothers day and fathers days? Are families the same today as they were 100 years ago? What is the problem with these celebrations? (perhaps you think there is not a problem at all - discuss)
- What can we learn from dad in this story?
- what can we learn from Nong Cream?
- why is this about No Outsiders?



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