Finding a true friend in this world doesn’t happen everyday. A harder job is finding true love, the unconditional kind I must point out. But what most of us don’t realize is that we were actually born with a person that has both these characteristics in them. Think about it. Who has been with us since day one? Who is the only person who will tell us her complete and honest opinion on things because she only wants the best for us? Who will do anything and everything for us in a heartbeat? Why good old Mom, of course!
But the truth is, we don’t always get to appreciate how awesome our mothers are. At least, not until something like Mother’s Day or your mom’s birthday or maybe when you read about our watch a movie featuring a mom who really shows the depth of her love, wisdom, and courage. So to get you into that mommy-appreciating mood, we’ve decided to list a few movie mommies and the important lessons they taught viewers across the world.
1. Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009)
After taking in homeless boy Michael, Leigh Anne showed us that being a mother to someone doesn’t necessarily mean the child has to come from you. As long as the love and affection is there, you are that child’s mother one way or the other.
2. Marmee in Little Women (1994)
It takes a lot of strength to keep standing tall despite all the challenges life throws at you. In Marmee’s case it was a war, death of one of her children, and her husband being drafted into a war. Still, she remained a patient, loving mom to her kids.
3. Mrs. George in Mean Girls (2004)
As she is a self-proclaimed “cool mom,” we learned that age doesn’t always have to be a barrier for a mother to understand her child. It just takes willpower.
4. Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)
We learned from her that a mother will do everything out of love for her child. While some moms would have despaired at having a son who was slightly slow and sickly besides, she raised him to be honest, brave, and accepting. After all, as Mrs. Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
5. Michaela Odone in Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)
This mom never faltered in her search for finding a cure to her son Lorenzo’s rare illness. She showed us that a mother will never give up on her son/daughter because of love.
6. Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000)
As a mother to her kids, Erin never stopped looking for ways to support her family. She showed the world how a mom can be a crusader for her kids and the kids of other people, how part of being a mom is showing your kids how to stand up for what’s right.
7. Diane Freeling in Poltergeist (1982)
When her daughter was abducted by demonic forces, this mom followed her kid to the other side in order to save her! Now that, my friends, is true love. She taught us that a mother’s love knows no boundaries.
8. Christine Collins in Changeling (2008)
When her son goes missing and another boy is returned in his place, this mom endures being entered into a psychological ward and even faces down a criminal in her quest to find her son. She showed us the lengths a mother would take to help her child.
9. Mrs. Jumbo in Dumbo (1941)
Here’s another mother deemed mad and locked up in the name of her child. Mrs. Jumbo knew Dumbo wasn’t born a normal elephant, but under no circumstances would she allow him to be hurt, physically or emotionally. She goes on a rampage to defend him.
10. Bambi’s mother in Bambi (1942)
She was Bambi’s guide to forest life before she was killed. She reminded us us that our mothers are indeed our first teachers and friends and that mothers’ lessons may not always be understood at the time they’re delivered, but they’ll come in handy when you need them.
11. Tess Coleman in Freaky Friday (2003)
In Freak Friday, Anna’s mother may be old-fashioned and a bit overprotective, but that’s just because she cares! Mothers will often don’t their children experience things they don’t feel right about precisely because they have been through more than we have and they don’t want us to get hurt or into trouble.
12. Peg Boggs in Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward might have seemed utterly terrifying, what with having scissors for hands and a badly scarred face, but even though he thoroughly cowed her neighbors, Peg Boggs still took him in and cared for him like one of her own. She taught us that mothers will stand by their kids—whether or not they’re related by blood—no matter what happens.
No matter how many disagreements and outright fights you might have had with your mom over the years, there’s no denying the love and familial bonds between you. You may have your friends, and boys will come and go, but the one true constant in our lives is the influence our mothers have had, and this is something captured over and over again on the silver screen. This list is but a small sampling.
Who are your favorite movie moms? What lessons have they taught you? Do they remind you of your own mom? Leave a comment to share.