Happy Mother’s Day to our moms
We love our mothers and we don’t mind spending the bucks to prove it.
The average amount we’ll spend on our moms for today’s holiday: $141, according to the National Retail Federation.
And we probably won’t be too creative when it comes to picking out gifts. Two-thirds of us are sticking with the can’t-fail-option of flowers.
By the way, a good tip for next year (or if you’re headed to Jewel right now): If you want those flowers to last, experts say stick with carnations, chrysanthemums and calla lilies. Those flowers have the most staying power.
Here are some other interesting Mother’s Day facts to mull while you’re waiting for her to serve you Sunday brunch (why hasn’t someone invented a sarcasm emoticon yet?).
First Mother’s Day
Anna Jarvis organized the first observances in Grafton, West Va., and Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. She finally succeeded in 1914 in having Congress officially set aside the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
How many moms
The Census Bureau says there are 85.4 million mothers in the U.S.
How many kids
The average woman has two children. Mothers in Utah lead the nation with an average of 2.6 kids; mothers in Vermont average the least at 1.7 children.
Slowing down
In 1976, 90 percent of women age 40-44 had given birth; that fell to 82 percent in 2008.
Blended families
Of the 37.8 million mothers living with children under 18, 94 percent of them live with biological children. Three percent live with stepchildren, 2 percent with adopted and less than 1 percent with foster children.
Multiples
In 2008, 32.6 births per 1,000 were twins — the highest on record. There were 6,268 triplet and higher order multiple births in 2008, the lowest number reported in more than a decade. The 2008 triplet and higher order multiple total included 5,877 triplets, 345 quadruplets, and 46 quintuplets and higher order multiples.
When
July has the highest number of births. Tuesday is the most common day of the week for giving birth.
Staying at home
There were 5 million stay-at-home moms in 2010 — down from 5.1 million in 2009 and 5.3 million in 2008.