The Co-Founder and Executive Officer of Motherless Daughters Australia calls for an urgent need to make Mother’s Day more inclusive.
For many, Mother’s Day is a joyous occasion, often marked with a nice meal and some heartfelt gifts. But for the 3.9 million Australian women who are grieving their mum, the day is a heavy reminder of what’s missing.
In 2012, my world was torn apart when my mum, Rosa, passed away from a rare form of gynaecological cancer. I was 23. She was 56. My heart still aches when I think of all the milestones she’ll never witness. While I do my best to hold her memory close, there’s a weight I feel on days like Mother’s Day that’s hard to ignore. Mother’s Day, in its modern form, originated back in 1908 when Anna Maria Jarvis organised the first official Mother’s Day celebration to honour her late mother, Ann. Anna was determined to make the day a time for people to reflect on the sacrifices mothers make for their children, and to appreciate the role they play in shaping lives. She hoped the day would be filled with genuine gratitude.
But somewhere along the way, that sentiment got lost. Today, Mother’s Day is heavily commercialised – bombarded with gift guides, brunch bookings and a flood of curated social media posts. For those of us who can’t pick up the phone or write a card, these messages can be deeply alienating. They make it feel like grief doesn’t belong on a day meant to be joyful. But it does belong – and so do we.
When I lost my mum, I felt incredibly alone. I searched for people who understood the grief of losing a mother, but I couldn’t find anyone my age who had experienced this kind of loss. Dates like Mother’s Day only amplified that isolation, as it seemed everyone around me was celebrating their mothers while I was quietly grieving.
In 2013, I reached out to a Facebook grief support group, hoping to connect with other women who had lost their mothers. That’s when I met Eloise, who too had lost her mum. We instantly recognised the power of that shared understanding. Together, we founded Motherless Daughters Australia – a not-for-profit organisation built from a place of personal loss but also hope. We wanted to create something we didn’t have: a supportive space for women navigating mother loss in all its forms.
Today, Motherless Daughters Australia is a growing national community where women can connect, feel heard and share their stories. We host regular events – both in-person and online – that bring bereaved daughters together, creating safe spaces to speak openly about their grief, particularly around heavy dates like Mother’s Day. Alongside this, we share community stories, provide grief resources and facilitate dedicated forums for conversation, recognising the healing that comes from simply feeling understood.
We exist because grief doesn’t follow a neat timeline. It lingers and shifts – sometimes quietly, sometimes in waves. And on days like this, it’s especially hard to grieve in a world that expects celebration and steers away from those who are living a different reality. A world filled with sales, gift guides and smiling posts rarely leaves space for sorrow.
That’s why we believe Mother’s Day should be more inclusive – and that begins with acknowledging those who are grieving. When we create space for all experiences of motherhood, including loss, we offer comfort instead of isolation.
At its heart, Mother’s Day is still about love – deep, enduring love that doesn’t fade when someone dies. That kind of love deserves to be seen and honoured, just as much as any bouquet or handwritten card. All mums deserve to be remembered on Mother’s Day – not only the ones we can hold but also the ones we continue to carry in our hearts.
This Mother’s Day, let’s take a moment to remember all mums – those we can hug, and those whose presence is felt in quieter ways. And let’s continue to make space for the daughters who are doing both.
Read also: Mother creates foundation making roads safer after the loss of a son
Danielle Snelling
Motherless Daughters Australia connects and supports women, girls and families experiencing the distress and lifelong impact caused by mother loss. They believe that with support, guidance and resources, motherless daughters feel less alone and more supported and understood in their life journey.
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