Mother's Day Dates Table
| Year | Mother's Day | Father's Day | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 10 | Jun 21 | 42 days |
| 2027 | May 9 | Jun 20 | 42 days |
| 2028 | May 14 | Jun 18 | 35 days |
| 2029 | May 13 | Jun 17 | 35 days |
| 2030 | May 12 | Jun 16 | 35 days |
| 2031 | May 11 | Jun 15 | 35 days |
| 2032 | May 9 | Jun 20 | 42 days |
| 2033 | May 8 | Jun 19 | 42 days |
| 2034 | May 14 | Jun 18 | 35 days |
| 2035 | May 13 | Jun 17 | 35 days |
| 2036 | May 11 | Jun 15 | 35 days |
Mother's Day is pinned to a rule, not a date: the second Sunday of May, fixed nationally by Woodrow Wilson's Proclamation 1268 of May 9, 1914, executing Congress's joint resolution signed two days earlier. The rule slides the holiday across a 7-day window - this decade runs from May 8 (2033) to May 14 (2028 and 2034) - and 2026 lands on May 10.
Bottom line: Mother's Day and Father's Day drift apart and back together on a fixed rhythm - 42 days apart in 2026, tightening to 35 in even-rule years - because May's second Sunday and June's third Sunday move on different calendars. The table tracks both, so a card for Mom never arrives after the one for Dad.
The honest part: this is the US date. The UK celebrates Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent (March, most years), and dozens of countries fix their own - the table is unapologetically American because the rule is American law.
How to use
- Read your year's row: the Mother's Day date, the Father's Day date that follows it, and the gap in days between the two.
- Use the counter for a live countdown to whichever observance comes next - it updates on every visit.
- Check the extremes before mailing anything international: May 8 (2033) is the decade's earliest possible Sunday, May 14 (2028, 2034) the latest.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May?
Because Congress said so in 1914: the joint resolution (38 Stat. 770) designated the second Sunday in May, and Wilson's Proclamation 1268 asked Americans to display the flag in observance. Anna Jarvis's campaign had already spread the custom through churches; the resolution nationalized a date her own mother's church had used since 1908.
Is Mother's Day always 42 days before Father's Day?
No - it alternates between 42 and 35 days in this decade. Both holidays float on Sundays: May's second Sunday and June's third Sunday drift independently, so the gap compresses to 35 days in years like 2028-2031 and stretches back to 42 in 2026, 2032 and 2033. The table's gap column does the subtraction so gift planning never assumes the wrong number.
Do other countries use the same date?
Most do not. The UK's Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent (mid-March, most years), a much older church custom that absorbed the modern gift-giving; Japan's overlaps the US rule; Russia fixes March 8; Thailand pins theirs to the Queen's birthday. This table computes the US federal observance only.
What is the deal with carnations?
White carnations were Anna Jarvis's original emblem - her mother's favorite flower - and 1908's first services handed them to every attendee. Red and pink honor a living mother; white signals one who has died. Florists never fixed a second flower, which is why carnations still dominate the week of May's second Sunday.