*footnotes

Mom.

She’s the one who soothed your brow, wiped your nose and forced you to eat your Brussels sprouts. More than anyone, she made you what you are today. Sometimes she can drive you crazy, but it’s only because she wants to humiliate you into doing “what’s right.” Sunday is her day.

* Although some historians trace the holiday to the ancient Greeks, Julia Ward Howe is generally credited with first suggesting the idea of an American Mother’s Day in 1872. Howe, who wrote the words to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” proposed a Mother’s Day dedicated to world peace and annually celebrated June 2. A Philadelphia woman, Anna Jarvis, began lobbying for a legal holiday in 1907. And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day an annual holiday to be celebrated the second Sunday of May.

* It’s been reported that Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants and long-distance phoning. Locally, Ann of Magnolia, a women’s clothing store in Burbank, is hosting a Mother’s Day celebration featuring the music of harpist Carolyn Sykes, free refreshments and 25% discounts, Sunday from 1-3 p.m. (818) 567-1472.

* The Skirball Cultural Center in Sepulveda Pass will have Paula Wolfson and Lloyd Wolf discussing their book, “Jewish Mothers: Strength, Wisdom, Compassion,” Sunday at 2 p.m. $8 admission will be waived if you buy the book at the center’s store. (323) 655-8587.

* The Million Mom March in Washington for more stringent gun control laws is slated Sunday. Organizer Donna Dees-Thomases of New Jersey says the shootings at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills were a wake-up call for her. The marching mothers are calling for background checks and licensing of gun buyers, safety locks and limiting handgun purchases for individuals to one a month. For those who can’t make it to Washington, a Southern California Mom March is planned Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. (800) 346-2536.