Fathers can be mothers

THIS Sunday is Mothering Sunday, not Mother’s Day, says Bob Greig, the founder of a campaigning group, OnlyDads. Mr Greig, a former church worker who started the group two years ago to support single fathers, believes that in calling the day “Mother’s Day” something vital has been lost. “Mothering Sunday is always a difficult time of year, because, if you are a single dad, you have had a catastrophe,” he said. It was “very hard for dads, and for children who just have dads to care for them. But we do mothering, we do nurturing. “The Church has let Mothering Sunday slip. The concept of mother ing has been lost and has been replaced with the person of ‘Mum’. The focus has moved from nurturing to a named individual.” On his website, Mr Greig said that his two young daughters received mothering from “a range of other sources: grandmas, aunties, teachers, friends, and neighbours . . . as well as from Dad. We are convinced going back to ‘Mothering Sunday’ will allow society to reflect and appreciate the wider role of ‘mothering’ that can be missed if we just concentrate on ‘mothers’.”