With the signing of the first Mother's Day Proclamation 80 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson set aside the second Sunday in May as a special time to pay tribute to America's mothers. Indisputably, the role of mothers has changed greatly in the last half-century. They are bread makers and breadwinners, heads of households and heads of state, caretakers of elderly parents and of newborn infants. They are also volunteers in our communities, schools, and religious organizations.
Mothers find time to inspire and challenge their children to dream big dreams and to do good deeds.
They provide encouragement to their children to reach for the stars and to strive for excellence. When our mothers succeed, our children succeed. When children succeed, our Nation's future is assured. Mothers are not only our life-givers, but they are also our nurturers who sustain us with deep and unconditional love. In a world of constant change, they establish a reliable foundation of unchanging values.