Sydney preschools, primary schools replacing Mother’s Day in inclusivity bid

A growing number of childcare centres and preschools are forgoing Mother’s Day events in favour of “Parent’s” or “Family Day” in a bid to be more inclusive.

A growing number of childcare centres and preschools are forgoing Mother’s Day events in favour of “Parent’s” or “Family Day” in a bid to be more inclusive ahead of this Sunday.

At the Inner Sydney Montessori School — which has preschools and a primary school with campuses at Balmain and Rozelle — a “Parent’s and Carer’s” morning tea will be held in lieu of one strictly for mums, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The likes of Stanmore Kindy — where celebrations were paused due to Covid-19, but had been switched to a “Parent’s Day” for “inclusive reasons” — and another “up-market” preschool in the city’s eastern suburbs have also followed suit.

At the latter school, The Telegraph reports that a letter was sent home to families last week, advising they had “decided to change the name of our annual Mother’s Day breakfast to Family Day Breakfast”.

“This will allow all families to be included,” the letter added.

A growing number of childcare centres and preschools are forgoing Mother’s Day events in favour of “Parent’s” or “Family Day” in a bid to be more inclusive. Picture: iStock

Bellingen Public School, on NSW’s Mid North Coast, has also embraced the change, with the local P&C association running a stall for “Mother’s and Parent’s Day” so the wording could be “inclusive as much as possible”.

“We are hoping to have some gifts on the stall that will also suit dads who are doing both jobs,” organisers told parents.

“So keep that in mind too when considering gift donation ideas.”

A P&C spokeswoman told the paper she was “aware that Father’s and Mother’s Day can be a painful time for children who feel there is not a place for them”.

“They have also always given their mother a gift on Father’s Day,” she noted.

Official advice for Mother’s and Father’s Day was issued by peak early childhood advocacy group Early Childhood Australia in late April, providing educators with a guide to including “diverse” families on both occasions.

“We know Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are important days to celebrate, but they can be tricky for children from diverse families,” the advice reads.

“Mother’s Day and Father’s Day present some challenges for families that don’t have a mum and dad.”

The resource suggests educators should give children the option to make a gift for a “special adult” — not necessarily their mum or dad _ to “avoid gender stereotypes in children’s crafts”.

“Steer away from cards with flowers for mum or ties for dad,” it added.

Official advice from Early Childhood Australia about handling Mother’s Day. Picture: Facebook

Women's Forum chief executive Rachael Wong.

But the emphasis on inclusivity has, unsurprisingly, ruffled a few feathers, with disgruntled parents and critics saying the move is more about “eliminating mums” than involving families without a mother figure.

Women’s Forum Australia chief executive Rachael Wong told The Telegraph that the term “Parent’s Day” would theoretically be just as “insensitive” as “Mother’s Day”.

“Perhaps the change has been made in a bid to be sensitive to those whose mothers are no longer around for various reasons, but what about those who no longer have any parents?” she questioned.

“Wouldn’t Parent’s Day also be insensitive? Given attempts to abolish terms like ‘mother’, ‘women’ and other female-related terms from the public discourse, it is reasonable to suspect that this is yet another attempt to erase women in a misguided attempt to be ‘inclusive’.”

One mother — whose child missed out on a Mother’s Day event — agreed, saying she thought the move was “part of a wider trend of eliminating mums, which is upsetting”.

“It’s nonsensical because same-sex female couples can celebrate Mother’s Day and same sex-male couples can celebrate Father’s Day,” she said.

“A sensitive approach for children who don’t have mums it have a ‘Mother’s and Special Friends Day’.”