Imagine that you were asked to perform a very special, particular kind of job. One that would require you to work 24/7, with no vacation, no breaks, and no life. Indeed, around traditional holidays like Thansgiving and Christmas, the workload is expected to increase. And as a final affront: NO PAY. Turns out that there are hundreds of millions -scratch that- billions of people around the world who have this very job. And if you’re anything like me, you very nearly forgot to do something as simple as give her a call to express your gratitude.
That’s the premise behind an ingenious ad that gives mothers everywhere their due, as holders of what is all too often a relentless, draining, around-the-clock exercise in patience and tedium. While it is not a huge leap of intuition to think that the producer -Cardshop, a company selling custom greeting cards- has a vested interest in encouraging Mother’s Day goodwill, I found the message to be touching nonetheless.
Perhaps there is another reason that I, and in particular, other first-years, would find this ad particularly resonant. Indeed, it’s a well-worn saying, especially around Mother’s Day, that moms everywhere are hard-working, capable of unconditional love, and expect virtually nothing in return. What’s special about this video is the setting: that of the job interview. It’s during first-year that the pressure to hold down a job or some other form of involvement, increases. Whether it’s part-time jobs, volunteering for various committees or undergraduate societies, or applying for lab and research positions, the interview has become a ubiquitious stepping stone in our newly adult lives: one that has at least a partial role in determining the winding paths our lives are to take.
And so when we see others going through this very same process, and the offense they justly take at being offered such a consuming, seemingly unrewarding job, we become all the more aware of the sacrifices that all mothers make, knowingly and unknowingly, as they seek to better the lives of their young. Which is to say: us.
Thanks Mom!