This Sunday is Mother’s Day here in the United States. It’s a good time to remind you to call your mamma. Of course, no Italian (especially Italian men) would ever forget this. Mom is THE most important women of all, much to the chagrin of Italian girlfriends and wives everywhere. In February, the archbishop of Genoa warned that the phenomenon of “Mammismo” – or the bond of love between a man and his mother – is ‘one of the biggest risks to marriage in the country today”. One in three Italian men sees his mother every day, a staggering number to most Americans who often leave home for college at age 18 and are likely to move far away from home so that stopping by to mom’s house is not a daily option. Even if they can’t see her, most of those two-thirds speak to her on a daily basis. Now we can spend hours debating whether or not this attachment is healthy or positive but there is one thing I know for sure. Your mom would like you to call more. So please call. Call her today if you can. But for heaven’s sake, call her on Sunday. Before 9 PM. So she actually knows that you didn’t forget.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of my friends and family out there. Whether you are a mom to a little human, a big human or a furry creature, there are those who depend on you and are nurtured by your love every day (even if they don’t call).
And most of all, Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, Mama Shimmer.