- Momma Beaumont from 'Savvy', by Ingrid Law...it brought me to tears with how sweet and caring the mother (and indeed whole family!) was.
- Mamsie in 'Five Little Peppers and How They Grew' by Margaret Sidney
- Homily Clock in 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton...similar category to Mrs Bennet, not everyone would want Homily as their mom on account of her worrying and fretting over the littlest thing, but imo that's why she's relatable and realistic, and she absolutely cares about her daughter and does her best to make her happy.
- Mother in 'The Railway Children' by Edith Nesbit
It's funny you should mention The Simpsons because some friends of mine made a list of fictional moms and of the ones from the last twenty years, all but one was from a cartoon. The others were from a bygone era. And only one was from a book, which kinda proves my point that good book moms are a little thin on the ground.
So would I! Love to see your list. I'm thinking it's curious/freaky/unsettling that moms are so commonly absent. From Nancy Drew to Scout Finch to Frasier Crane to Hawkeye Pierce to Mowgli to Sleeping Beauty to the Bonanza boys. Where's Mom?
They are a rare breed! I can add to this list:
- Momma Beaumont from 'Savvy', by Ingrid Law...it brought me to tears with how sweet and caring the mother (and indeed whole family!) was.
- Mamsie in 'Five Little Peppers and How They Grew' by Margaret Sidney
- Homily Clock in 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton...similar category to Mrs Bennet, not everyone would want Homily as their mom on account of her worrying and fretting over the littlest thing, but imo that's why she's relatable and realistic, and she absolutely cares about her daughter and does her best to make her happy.
- Mother in 'The Railway Children' by Edith Nesbit
Thanks for the list! I recently saw The Secret Life of Arrietty, a movie based on The Borrowers, and the mom does remind me of Mrs. Bennet.
She is there for some of them. Marge Simpson doesn't get enough credit sometimes...
It's funny you should mention The Simpsons because some friends of mine made a list of fictional moms and of the ones from the last twenty years, all but one was from a cartoon. The others were from a bygone era. And only one was from a book, which kinda proves my point that good book moms are a little thin on the ground.
There are quite a few fictional moms who fit that criteria- and not just in books.
So would I! Love to see your list. I'm thinking it's curious/freaky/unsettling that moms are so commonly absent. From Nancy Drew to Scout Finch to Frasier Crane to Hawkeye Pierce to Mowgli to Sleeping Beauty to the Bonanza boys. Where's Mom?
I think showing mom in a healthy, loving light is too much trouble for most writers. There either has to be drama or trauma.
Great! I'd love to see your list!