Seven Supermums to mark Mothers' Day
This Sunday is Mothers' Day in Germany. Here at The Local we all love our mothers - this week's Local List gathers an eclectic collection of mothers and mummies.
Watch this weekend as prices of chocolates and flowers go through the roof - no, we already had Valentine's Day - this time around the extortion is in honour of Mothers' Day which happens in Germany on Sunday.
Here at The Local we all love our mothers, make no mistake. But a little more respect, accommodation and equal pay every day might be more effective at demonstrating society's appreciation for what being a mother actually means, than a bunch of flowers once a year.
The concept of honouring mothers in Germany is, like so much else, contaminated by the Third Reich - mothers' day was inaugurated here in 1933 and the idea of the perfect mother fitted perfectly into the fascist mentality.
The Nazis even introduced a Mothercross medal in 1938 to honour those women who had 'pure' Aryan blood and had produced equally 'pure' children - depending on how many children they had had, a woman would be awarded a bronze, silver or gold medal.
Now Mothers' Day has more of an American flavour, with many mothers being treated to breakfast in bed, flowers and chocolates rather than a medal.
For this week's Local List we have put together an eclectic mix of German mothers. From the activist women in central Berlin determined to reclaim their children from local drug dealers, to the "Lion" who brought up a certain Gerhard Schröder on a single wage packet.
Take a look through our selection, let us know if you have any additional ideas - and don't forget to call your mum on Sunday!
The Local/hc
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Watch this weekend as prices of chocolates and flowers go through the roof - no, we already had Valentine's Day - this time around the extortion is in honour of Mothers' Day which happens in Germany on Sunday.
Here at The Local we all love our mothers, make no mistake. But a little more respect, accommodation and equal pay every day might be more effective at demonstrating society's appreciation for what being a mother actually means, than a bunch of flowers once a year.
The concept of honouring mothers in Germany is, like so much else, contaminated by the Third Reich - mothers' day was inaugurated here in 1933 and the idea of the perfect mother fitted perfectly into the fascist mentality.
The Nazis even introduced a Mothercross medal in 1938 to honour those women who had 'pure' Aryan blood and had produced equally 'pure' children - depending on how many children they had had, a woman would be awarded a bronze, silver or gold medal.
Now Mothers' Day has more of an American flavour, with many mothers being treated to breakfast in bed, flowers and chocolates rather than a medal.
For this week's Local List we have put together an eclectic mix of German mothers. From the activist women in central Berlin determined to reclaim their children from local drug dealers, to the "Lion" who brought up a certain Gerhard Schröder on a single wage packet.
Take a look through our selection, let us know if you have any additional ideas - and don't forget to call your mum on Sunday!
The Local/hc
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