mother's dayThere are two stages of childhood. In the first, you think Mother's Day is the best invention ever, a time to lavish Mom with macaroni and glue-encrusted cards and fresh-picked dandelions proffered in pudgy fists. And then comes the day when a kid doesn't get it.

Why does Mom get a day all to herself? When is Kid's Day? It's this stage of childhood when it's time to pull out the big guns, Mom. Presenting a look at motherhood by the numbers, a point by point reminder that Mom could use all the celebrating she can get:

1.7: The average number of kids a mom in Vermont will give birth to -- the nation's lowest birth rate.

2.6: The average number of kids a mom in Utah will give birth to -- the nation's highest.

6: How many weeks old a rat is when she can first get pregnant.

9: Months of gestation for the average human mother.

10: Moms who serve as CEO of Fortune 500 companies.

11: Days the average opossum spends gestating their baby, among the shortest pregnancy in the animal kingdom.

12: Most babies conceived in one pregnancy without fertility treatments.

13: VBACs (vaginal birth after C-section) that Michelle Duggar has had.

14: Kids born to "Octomom" Nadya Suleman.

15: Most babies conceived in one pregnancy with fertility intervention.

19: Babies Michelle Duggar has given birth to.

22: Months an elephant spends pregnant with her calf.

49: Movies and TV series worldwide simply named "Mother" (per IMDB).

54: Percent of moms who read blogs.

55: Percent of moms who are getting enough nookie in the bedroom (according to CafeMom's Mom Index).

61: Percent of American moms who work.

62: Percent of working American moms who'd prefer to work part-time.

65: Percent of kids open to friending Mom on Facebook.

69: Most babies born to one woman not a Duggar.

76: Percent of Swedish moms who work.

91: Percent of moms who wouldn't dream of leaving the house without their cellphone in hand.

28,357: American moms who had a home birth (in 2008).

44,189: Moms who belong to the Twilight Moms forum.

463,000: Children in foster care as of 2008 (latest figures available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

3.9 million: Moms blogging.

10 million: Single moms in America.

85.4 million: Mothers in the United States in 2008 (latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau).

14.6 billion: Money spent on moms in the U.S. last Mother's Day.

Are your kids into Mother's Day? What will you be doing to celebrate?

 

Image via cote/Flickr