Don’t. Say. It. It’s the 2 nd Sunday of May. That’s the day women with no children and dead mothers consciously or unconsciously stay home. We organize closets. We cook. We watch movies. Anything to stay out of the public eye – to avoid the inevitable, the “Happy Mother’s Day!” greeting delivered with a smile. I thought I was safe this year. I went no further than my own front porch. I was working on some potted plants. Then a woman walked by. I smiled at her, as I smile at everyone who walks by. Then she said it . And in that moment, I was faced with the odd dilemma of what to say to her in return. Instinctively, I did what my own mother taught me when I was young and responded in kind, “Happy Mother’s Day to you, too”. But it wasn’t sincere. I was angry that it came out of my mouth. And it started me thinking. WHY do people say “Happy Mother’s Day” to women, especially women they do not know? I suspect that the first response most