Moms need to feel appreciated for all of their hard work and dedication to their kids. It is probably the most difficult job on the planet and offers the least amount of encouragement and appreciation. A mom can spend an entire day devoted to her kids and their needs and at the end of the day never receive a single ?thank you mom.? If this job were in the business world, most moms would quit their job within the first couple of months if not the first few weeks. Fortunately they can't and most often, they don't.

Surprisingly, the origin of Mother's Day was not intended to honor and appreciate moms, but was adopted from the British after the civil war as a way for women to unite against war and promote it as a national day of peace. Mother's Day was never nationally recognized until President Woodrow Wilson declared it as a national holiday. From that point on, commercialization of Mother's Day as we now know it began to take its shape and it is now a day of recognition for moms.

It is indeed surprising that the original intention of Mother's Day had nothing to do with encouraging and appreciating moms, because it's very obvious that they need support. Over the last few decades as divorce has sadly become a socially acceptable alternative to unhappy marriages, the number of single mothers in the world is increasing. Moms are forced to play the role of both the mother and the father and their souls and spirits, hopes and dreams are dwindling. There are many organizations and resources now available to moms that provide them with support, advice, wisdom, answers to questions, hints, tips and tricks that all revolve around how to be a better mother.

A relatively new organization called Spotlight Mothers has been created in the form of a website www.spotlightmothers.com, where their primary purpose is to provide recognition and appreciation for the mothers of the United States. At this point in time they recognize three moms each week through a ?Mother of the Week?, ?Recipe of the Week? and ?Life Tip of the Week?. Not only are they providing free resources for moms, they are making it a point to appreciate and encourage the moms that have submitted their recipes, wisdom and advice. You will be able to find crockpot recipes, drink recipes, chili recipes, chocolate and dessert recipes, and even something as simple as a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe. Their Life Tips can range from early pregnancy symptoms to coping with letting your kids go; picking out baby girl names or baby boy names; shopping for mother of the bride dresses and so much more.

On top of all of that, they also have a ?Mother of the Week? award. Each and every week they feature a different mom by making her the center of attention on the site and sending her a gift and a certificate in the mail. You can nominate your own mom to be ?Mother of the Week? so that she will feel special and know that you, as her son, daughter or good friend, really do appreciate everything that she has done and will continue to do in the future.

Moms are in desperate need of appreciation. It's about time we start taking their needs seriously and make every day, Mother's Day.