Elite School Faces Backlash Over “Woke” Changes to Mother’s Day Event

Hunter Valley Grammar School, near Sydney, Australia, sparked backlash after traditional Mother’s Day Stall to “Family Gift Stall”. The stalls were commonly set up for students to buy gifts for Mother’s Day. 

Moms are not happy 

The Hunter Valley Grammar School in Maitland wanted to make the day more inclusive, but many moms feel their roles are being erased. Some talked to the Daily Telegraph, revealing that this move sends a message to students that mothers are not important, adding that it was supposed to be one day when they were honored.

Parents asked for it

The mom said some parents asked for more inclusive stalls because the students do not have moms or live with two fathers. Another mother told the Telegraph that the school went “woke”.

The mother said that the aim was to erase genders and values celebrated on Mother’s Day.

An email that sparked controversy

All parents were notified about the change via school email, obtained by the Telegraph. It said that the purpose of the remaining stalls was to celebrate loved ones. However, mothers are upset and even concerned about gender ideology in Australian schools.

The school spoke up

Hunter Valley Grammar School principal Rebecca Butterworth said it was not the school’s intention to erase Mother’s Day but to support children living without their mothers. Butterworth added that the school values all mothers dedicated to the community. 

Not the first time Mother’s Day got political 

In 2022, a Canadian school had Grown-ups Who Love Us Day instead of traditional Mother’s Day. Other schools in the US also gave another version called Important Grown-Ups Day. These moves usually come with mixed reactions because traditional families are diminishing. 

Gifting a special adult 

In Australia, the Early Childhood Australia advocacy group shared with educators that children should be honoring special adults in their lives. Daily Mail Australia reported that school employees were advised to avoid stereotypes, so many schools adopted Parent Day or Family Day. 

Tradition vs. statistics 

According to the Pew Research Center, around 46 percent of US children live with two married heterosexual parents. The same study found that 15 percent of children live with a step-parent or remarried parent, 34 percent live with a single parent, and 5 percent live with a non-parent. 

But moms have solutions 

One Australian mom told the Telegraph that Mother’s Day could be renamed Mother’s and Special Friends Day to be more inclusive. The same mom suggested doing the same for Father’s Day. That way, children with two dads or who live with stepmoms could all be included.

Other parents went further 

A Canadian parent told the Toronto Star that schools could add Grown-Ups Who Love Us Day apart from traditional celebrations to make all children feel included. In Connecticut, a school that tried to rename Mother’s Day to Important Grown-Ups Day faced severe backlash and had to apologize. 

Parents have more ideas 

Parents and volunteers will host a Mother’s and Parent’s Day at a public school in Bellingen, Australia. Many schools in the Sydney area have already switched to gender-non-specific Parents and Carers Day, while others will host Family Day Breakfast. But what about women? 

Rejecting biological realm 

Rachael Wong, chief executive of the Women’s Forum Australia, stated that this is a move aimed at rejecting biological reality while pretending that sex doesn’t matter. She added that it is also another example of deleting mothers and women in an attempt to be more inclusive. 

Two sides of the coin 

The Mother’s Day stall replacement comes days after the Sydney council voted to remove books featuring same-sex parents from local libraries. The Cumberland City Council has started reviewing the book collection for removal from library services as per the resolution.