Mother's Day isn't a joyous occasion for everyone. There are many reasons why people might want to avoid the whole shebang as much as possible: if they've lost their mother, for example, or if they have a strained or estranged relationship with their parents.
Other people never get to know their mothers, and some suffer the tragedy of becoming a mother and losing a child.
For many of these people, seeing all the cards and flowers and general bonhomie of Mother's Day can act as a trigger.
Because of this, staying away from social media on Mother's Day can definitely be a good move. But this week, MP Matt Warman has suggested another way of reducing the risk of Mother's Day becoming a trigger.
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Warman, who lost his mother in 2009 when he was 27 years old, told the House of Commons that Mother's Day promotional emails sent by brands can act as "a reminder of what you have lost".
He praised online florist Bloom and Wild for giving customers the chance to "opt out" of emails connected to Mother's Day simply by clicking on a link that was sent out well in advance.
Can we just talk about how fantastic @BloomandWild are at customer satisfaction? This email is so thoughtful - I don’t know of any brand that does this. I’ll always buy my flowers from them for this reason! ♥️♥️♥️ pic.twitter.com/w6S0AEoEmy
— Lottie ?✨ (@Lottie_Lamour) March 3, 2019
"If other companies were to follow suit, then the dread, and I do mean the dread, around this day might be mitigated for many people," Warman told the house, according to the BBC.
"I could be a part of something that an organisation like the Advertising Standards Authority could make part of a voluntary code around data. I'm not a Tory asking for some enormous nanny state, but I'm saying another tick box when you sign up for yet more emails would be kind."
Bloom and Wild's Mother's Day email policy has also been praised by people online. "As someone who lost their Mum and Nanna, this is amazing. I know many people celebrate but it’s not always nice getting constant reminders,” one woman wrote on Twitter.
Another tweeted: "Have you seen what Bloom and Wild have done? It’s incredible! Sent around asking people if they wanted to taken out of the Mother’s Day send lists last month so it wouldn’t bring hurt to people with the barrage of marketing now. Amazing stuff."
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