The Mother Metamorphosis…I'm Turning into my Mum!

Pinpointed: The Age we Turn Into Our Mothers

BRADFORD, England, March 29, 2011 - Research released today has pinpointed 32 as the age at which we're most
likely to turn into our mothers.

According to the poll of 1,000 British men and women, conducted by
Hallmark Cards (www.hallmark.co.uk/) as part of the Mother's Day Cards
for a Cure(TM) (
www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/mothers-day-cards/) campaign,
which for over the last 5 years has seen the company donate a total of
GBP1.25 million to breast cancer charities, has revealed that 48% of the
nation believe that they're turning into their mum, with the top five
indicators being:

                                1. Worrying more
                           2. Stocking up on groceries
                              3. Going to bed early
                             4. Being more outspoken
                           5. Watching soaps and drama

Using mum's favourite sayings is yet another sign of mother
metamorphosis, a trait that over half of Brits have grown fond over the
years. Not surprising, when you see that over a third of Brits look up to
their mums as the most inspirational figure in their lives.

The top 10 most popular mum phrases highlighting the transformation were
voted as:

                       1. What did your last slave die of?
                  2. Close the door, you weren't born in a barn
                          3. I can't hear myself think
                           4. It will all end in tears
                       5. It will all come out in the wash
                        6. Who's 'she', the cat's mother?
                       7. You'll catch your death in that
         8. Don't make a face like that, if the wind changes you'll stay
                                  like that
             9. You don't get a pudding if you don't eat your mains
                         10. You don't know you're born

Such phrases are most likely to come out when talking to our children,
with 39% admitting to using their mums' expressions with their kids and a
quarter of respondents even claiming to talk this way with their partners.

Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes, CSR Manager at Hallmark (
www.hallmark.co.uk/), said: "We conducted this research as part of
Hallmark's Cards for a Cure(TM) (
www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/mothers-day-cards/) Mother's Day
preparation to explore just how strong the bond with our mothers can be.

"And, as the research shows, it seems we've taken that bond to a whole
new level by becoming a mini-me style version of our mothers, copying their
exact movements and phrases.

"Like it or not, it's no surprise that we mirror our mothers in this way,
especially when 37% of the population hold their mothers up as the most
inspirational person in their life. I have to admit, I've noticed my mother
in quite a few of my actions recently so it's a good job I think the world of
her too!"

Unsurprisingly, women are far more likely to go through the mother
metamorphosis with two thirds of women feeling that they are turning into
their mums compared to just one third of men. However, almost half of men
still revert to using their mothers' phrases when needed.

The majority of Brits will only revert to the words of their mother when
scorning or telling people off but many also admitted to doing so when
looking after their loved ones or talking to themselves!

Accepting the inevitable comes more easily for some than others. In fact,
over a quarter of Brits have come to terms with the fact they're turning into
their mum. And, although 15% are happy about the metamorphosis, 17% of
respondents insist on fighting the change.

And, when it comes to spotting the tell-tale signs, we're not always the
first person to notice. In fact, over a fifth of those surveyed said that it
was their partner that had noticed certain motherly habits creeping in.

As far as celebs go, the most renowned stars for turning into their
mothers (as voted by the nation) are:

                   1. Liza Minnelli - daughter of Judy Garland
                   2. Zara Philips - daughter of Princess Anne
                    3. Lourdes Ciconne - daughter of Madonna
                    4. Kate Hudson - daughter of Goldie Hawn
                 5. Sylvester Stallone - son of Jackie Stallone

For more information about Hallmark Cards ( www.hallmark.co.uk/), the Cards for a Cure(TM) (www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/mothers-day-cards/) Campaign and to buy a Mother's Day Card online
visit www.hallmark.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Hallmark

Established in the UK in 1958, Hallmark Cards (
www.hallmark.co.uk/) is the UK's leading greeting card company. As
well as greeting cards (
www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/mothers-day-cards/), Hallmark
also produces related products such as wrapping paper, gift bags, social
stationery, and gift products. Producing a wide range of cards for every
occasion, Hallmark has a number of licencees including Disney, Warner
Brothers, Purple Ronnie, LEGO(R) and Forever Friends.

www.hallmark.co.uk is packed with thousands of card
designs covering all occasions, including a range of personalised cards.

Cards for a Cure

Cards for a Cure(TM) is a joint venture between Hallmark and the Breast
Cancer Campaign which sees Hallmark raising both funds and awareness for
Action Breast Cancer.

This year, for the fifth year running, Hallmark and its customers will be
making their annual GBP250,000 donation to Breast Cancer Campaign and Action
Breast Cancer, which is done each year irrespective of card sales. Over the
last five years the company has donated a total of GBP1.25 million to the
charity to fund vital breast cancer research projects, at centres across the
UK and Ireland, as they continue to search for breakthrough prevention
treatments and ultimately a cure for this life-changing disease.

    Follow Hallmark online:

    - Web: www.Hallmark.co.uk
    - Facebook; www.facebook.com/HallmarkUK
    - Twitter; www.twitter.com/hallmarkcards
    - Youtube; www.Youtube.com/Hallmarkvideo
    - Flickr; @Hallmark_UK
    - Blog; www.Hallmark.co.uk/blog

Established in the UK in 1958, Hallmark Cards is the UK's
leading greeting card publisher. Choose, Personalise and Buy a Hallmark
Greetings Card from 1000's available online right now. Send eCards from our
huge range or find out what's going on In Store. As well as greeting cards
(cards.hallmark.co.uk/), Hallmark also produces related products such
as wrapping paper, gift bags, social stationery, and gift products, birthday
cards (cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Birthday), easter cards, fathers day
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birthday cards (cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Birthday/Funny/),
anniversary cards (
cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Special-Occasions/Anniversary/), mothers
day cards (cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Special-Occasions/Anniversary/),
engagement cards (
cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Special-Occasions/Engagement/), good luck
cards (cards.hallmark.co.uk/Cards/Just-To-Say/Good-Luck/Character/).
Hallmark has a number of licencees including Disney, Warner Brothers, Purple
Ronnie, LEGO(R) and Forever Friends.

For more information please contact Rebecca, Janine, Lucy, Louise or Matthew on +44(0)113-243-1117 or email hallmark at lucre.co.uk