In celebration of Mother's Day, I’m reviving selections from one of our most popular Passport blogs ever! Read on to learn where my passion for PBS comes from, and what I’m watching this weekend in honor of moms everywhere...
My mom introduced me to PBS programming at an early age, which probably explains why I am a part of the WTIU membership team today! I have warm memories of mornings with Sesame Street and afternoons with Mister Rogers (although evenings could be downright boring to my young self with The MacNeil/Lehrer Report and Masterpiece Theatre). I can still remember snuggling with my mom on the couch watching those shows—even the grown-up ones that I didn’t care about; to me, the important part was sharing time with my mom.
While the program line-ups may have changed since my childhood, the range and quality of shows are as good as ever. And these days, my mom is a big fan of PBS Passport. She loves watching her favorite shows on her iPad, computer, TV, and even on her smartphone—whenever and wherever she wants. Want to give a mom in your life the gift of PBS Passport? Email me today to learn how!
Call the Midwife
Our tribute to moms begins with stories of the joy and pain of what might well be considered the defining act of motherhood—the bringing of babies into the world. And this mixture of emotion is exactly what Call the Midwife delivers. I just started watching recently, and I’m loving every tender moment of it! Especially fun for me is watching the current season, set in 1969—a year I spent firmly planted on my mother’s hip before learning to walk right around my first birthday in December of that year. From the fashions to the social changes, it’s fascinating to see how the midwives, nuns, and families of Poplars react to the moments of such a turbulent time. Only the current season is available with Passport right now; not to worry, if you haven’t been watching from the beginning, though. Each season stands alone, and you can enjoy every episode of Season 13 with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit!
All Creatures Great and Small
If you’ve read my previous Passport picks, you know by now that All Creatures Great & Small is one of my all-time favorite series. The show is filled with kind and lovely characters, but perhaps none so gracious as Mrs. Hall. A mother figure to Siegfried, Tristan, James, and Helen, Mrs. Hall is also the actual mother of Edward, her estranged son, who we finally meet in the very poignant and powerful episode 5 of Season Three. That episode left me in tears—an emotional mixture of both heartbreak and hope for Edward and his mother. It also left me craving shortbread cookies! (If you’ve seen the episode, you understand). Fortunately for us, Mrs. Hall has shared her shortbread recipe with Bethany Heald, the show’s food stylist, who has shared it with the rest of us. I recommend serving it with a cup of Earl Grey, just as Mrs. Hall does!
Austin City Limits
It’s so interesting to ponder how early life experiences, even fleeting ones, can shape the person you become as an adult. When I was very small, my mom took guitar lessons, learning songs like Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” So, instead of traditional lullabies, I would drift off to sleep while Mom practiced her guitar, singing those classic songs to me. Today, my musical tastes are firmly rooted in that early exposure to roots music. Long after Mom dropped her guitar lessons, I’m still a huge fan of what is now referred to as Americana, exemplified by legendary performers like Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson and amazing young artists like Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle. Austin City Limits, the longest running music series in TV history, has showcased such talented musicians since 1974. Tune in to ACL and explore captivating performances like the one pictured here of another musical mom—Sheryl Crowe—with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit!
J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom
Even more than her love of music, I associate a passion for flowers with my mom. Over the years, she has devoted countless hours to cultivating breathtaking blooms. And it’s understandable why; research suggests that the brain releases dopamine when we harvest flowers or food from the garden. In other words, gardening makes us happy! Another fun fact: according to the Society of American Florists, 64% of Mother’s Day gifts are flowers. But if you’ve purchased a bouquet lately, you know that flowers are not inexpensive. Instead of buying flowers, you could do like my mom—grow your own cutting garden and fill all your vases at a fraction of the cost the florist charges. For tips and inspiration, tune in to the Arrangements from the Garden episode of J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom to get blooming with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit!
Finding Your Roots
When we were teens, my friend Barb and I planned a camping trip to Tennessee for spring break. My mother, who felt our plan was not the best idea at the time, suggested another kind of girls’ trip. Barb’s mother offered a similar distraction, and we quickly scuttled our camping plans. Instead, I spent hours in the Watseka, Illinois, library, helping my mom piece together scraps of our family’s story from the local archives. We also visited an elderly cousin at her century-old farmhouse where she shared wonderful memories with us. (Sadly, she died shortly after our visit, and that stately home was burned to the ground by arsonists). My interest in genealogy stems from that trip and finds an outlet today in watching guests of Finding Your Roots take their own family journeys. Hear the stories of mothers like Cyndi Lauper, Carol Burnett, and Nancy Pelosi (and their mothers—and their mother’s mothers, and, well, you get the idea) with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit!
Poetry in America
Circling back to birth and babies (because who doesn’t love babies?!), is this moving episode of Poetry in America. Powerful poems combine with commentary from strong women to explore what it means to be a mother (and what it means to not be a man). Sharon Olds’s “The Language of the Brag” and Bernadette Mayer’s “The Desires of Mothers to Please Others in Letters” are exuberant, boisterous tributes to motherhood. Both poets join host Elisa New along with an actor, a writer, an activist, an obstetrician, and the co-founders of the non-profit organization Our Bodies Ourselves to explore the miracle—and mess—of creating new life. Meet these remarkable women and celebrate the poetry of motherhood with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit!