10: Bubby
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
I haven't watched Flapjack in a LONG while due to it never being on Cartoon Network anymore, unfortunately. I do know that a lot of people found the show super annoying, which I never got, particularly due to my favorite character: Bubby, Flapjack's makeshift house/adoptive mom. Bubby is just so caring and protective of sweet, naive Flapjack, and she does everything in her power to protect him from the harshness of the world and the bad influence of that sleazy drunk ex-sailor he idolizes so much. She's sweet, caring, sassy, and downright terrifying if you ever even think of messing with her kid. For that, Bubby will always be one of my favorite cartoon moms.
9: Catelyn Stark
A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
OK, first off, let's keep the comments spoiler-free. I'm still not caught up with the books or TV series, and I'm sure there are other people here who aren't, either.Now that we have that out of the way, Catelyn is an excellent example of a mother who would do almost anything for the sake of any of her five children. She just loves being a mom, and she loves her children with all of her heart, which is freaking fantastic. The only thing keeping her from being any higher on this list is that she's an absolutely awful step-mom. Poor Jon. It's not his fault that Ned supposedly cheated on you and took his bastard son home (which is already a pretty shaky story to begin with, anyway; idk why you bought it). She just needs to learn to accept the poor kid. He has enough crap to deal with already.
(BTW, if she makes up with Jon Snow at any point, feel free to move her over to spot #2.)
8: Helen Parr/Elastigirl
The Incredibles
Helen is definitely one of the most realistic mothers you will ever find in animation. You get to see Helen, formerly known as Elastigirl, struggle through an ordinary life as a wife and mother of three, with a moody teen daughter, rebellious preteen boy, and fussy baby- all of whom have super powers like their parents. It's really interesting to see that someone with the power to stretch her body in a number of impossible ways can struggle with so many mundane tasks like trying to make her son chase after his dreams- but not too fast for the other kids to catch up- and help her daughter come out of her metaphorical- a I guess sometimes literal- shell. But while she does try to keep her family as normal and functional as possible, she's also a badass ex-superhero on the side, so when a situation involving her children being in danger does come up, you can be sure she'll be right on top of that.
7: Mom Squared Garnet
Steven Universe
So Garnet isn't exactly Steven's mother- er, mothers?- but really a friend of his mother's, but the entire premise of the show is that Steven is being raised by sentient alien space rocks, so Garnet more than qualifies as a motherly figure(s). While Garnet is undoubtedly the most cool, quiet, and stoic of the group, she's also the most affectionate and loving between her, Pearl, and Amethyst, all while still managing to give Steven enough space and respect to figure things out on his own. She's just a fountain of love and motherly wisdom, and I absolutely adore her because of it.
6: Tatsumama Tatsumiya
Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea
BTW, things get spoiler-y with this one.
Tatsumiya, other than being the single-handed greatest thing in all of Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea (other than Idate and power-couple Doloz and Cherryblod), is also a freaking awesome mother. Now, yeah, I suppose that Doloz is also a great mom and could be on this list, but, really, Tatsumiya didn't have to be a mom. Wadanohara isn't her actual child; Tatsumiya was the oarfish familiar of her father, The Great Sorcerer Meikai, and after his death and the betrayal of his other familiar Old, she takes in little Wadda, who had yet to even hatch from her egg. Now, since Meikai was very important to the Sea Kingdom, Tatsumiya didn't have to take Wadda in- just about anyone would have been more than willing to- but she did, possibly because she "respected Meikai more than anyone else." Really, Mogeko, we all know she was in love with him; I don't know why you won't say it already... She taught Wadda everything she knows about magic, and despite knowing how much the kingdom relies on her, still tries to let Wadda know that she doesn't ever have to do anything she doesn't want to, and that it's OK to quit if anything becomes too much of a burden on her.
No, this is totally not me just adoring her as a character and wanting to give oarfish mom some much needed time in the spotlight.
5: Emma Swan
Once Upon a Time
Emma isn't the type of woman you'd expect to make it on a list of awesome moms, mostly because she put Henry up for adoption when he was born. She was a little young to be a mom, and she didn't feel ready for parenthood at all, so she made a respectable decision in trying to give Henry what she thought would be a better life. Once Henry tracks her down and finds her later in life, though, she quickly builds a strong attachment with him and begins to take a motherly role in his life. Yes, she makes some mistakes, but keep in mind that she never really knew her kid, and she is suddenly thrown into a position she has no experience with, and that she always encourages Henry the way that any mother should. So, yeah. Emma may not have wanted to be a mom, but she sure as hell is doing a good job of being one, all things considered.
4: Yasuko Takasu
Toradora!
When we are initially introduced to Yasuko, she doesn't come off as a good mother- in fact, when I first saw her, I was under the impression that she was a complete deadbeat that neglected her kid and just never grew up, since she's always out of the house until very late at night, which therefore leaves Ryuuji doing all of the work at home. We later find out, though, that she's actually living my worst nightmare- working two shifts at two different jobs literally every single day- in order to make sure her son gets the financial support he needs for a good life and a good education. The only thing she asks for is that he doesn't get a job and focuses on his studies. So, should Yasuko be a mom? Probably not; she was a teen mom, is a total airhead and, as I said earlier, seems like she never really grew up. But, at the same time, you have to admit that the sheer amount of her own life that she sacrificed for her son- who looks so much like the man that left her while she was pregnant- is genuinely awe-inspiring and just overall the quality of an excellent mother.
3: Molly Weasley
Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Well, for one thing, there's the scene depicted above. That was pretty badass.
OK, but, no, seriously, I almost had Lily Evans Potter in this spot (because Harry Potter is actually full of great moms being great), but Molly takes the spot because 1) We hardly ever get to see Lily, and 2) Molly has a lot of experience with being a mom. You'd think that she'd be done after raising three sons, who are all pretty successful in their own rights, but she goes on, has trouble-maker twins, then she has asshat Ron- oh, I'm sorry- Ronald, and then she stops popping out babies with her only daughter, Ginny. Now, you may say, she's had seven kids at this point. Surely she's had enough of children by this point, to which I would typically agree. But then she goes and pretty much all but adopts Harry into the family. Holy Hell, woman!
But, really, despite being so big, the Weasley family is also tightly knit together, and no matter how much I may hate Ron and that filthy traitor Percy, Molly did a damn good job in raising and caring for seven kids, and God knows she isn't going to take crap from any one of them.
2: Kala
Tarzan
I know it may seem strange, but one of my favorite Disney movies is Tarzan, and I think that the story of how Kala found Tarzan and raised him was a huge reason as to why. Baby Tarzan wasn't even the same species as her, yet Kala was willing to risk her life in order to save him. She's a kind, caring, and very accepting mother, and nothing else really needs to be said about her.
Before I get to my number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Because, while she started out the movie as a overly controlling mother, she learns what it means to be supportive of your children's decisions and that you just need to give them room to grow.
Really, IDK why this movie gets so much hate.
My favorite Disney mom, who also happens to be the mother of my favorite Disney princess. She's the kind of awesome mom who knows it's OK to have ambitions and to follow your dreams, but she also makes sure to let Tiana that you can't get so caught up in those dreams that you start missing out on all the fun in life.
Only reason she didn't make it on to the list is that she barely gets any screen time. I didn't even know she had a name before I started doing research for this post!
Mavis from Hotel Transylvania 2
While I do dislike the end of this movie because I felt it undermined the lesson that Mavis was trying to teach her own dad about parenting, I really do like that message she was trying to hammer in. You can't force a kid to be someone they're not; you just have to love them and accept them for who they are.
1: Hana
Wolf Children
A lot of people from the anime community probably saw this one coming from a mile away, but, really, there's a reason for that.
Wolf Children is more than just a movie about a woman that did the do with a wolf- it's about a woman that struggles with the loss of her husband while at the same time learning to take care of her half-wolf children, who are caught between their human and animal instincts.Hana is the picture of what a mother should be: she is patient, loving, and willing to make sacrifices for her children. She moves to the country and learns how to farm when she figures out that he half-wolf children won't be able to thrive in her current home in the city, and when the time comes, she ultimately makes the gut-wrenching decision to let her baby go.
Wolf children is the most simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking film about parenthood that I have ever had the pleasure to view, and if you haven't watched it, you should.
Anyway, that's my little list, feel free to let me know who your favorite fictional moms are, and who the most inspirational mother figure in your life is. Our mothers make a huge difference in our lives and help shape us as who we are; I, for one, know that I wouldn't be anywhere in life without my mom, and I love her so much for the amount of effort that she puts into me and my siblings' lives.
So, happy early Mother's Day, guys! For all you moms out there, I hope that you have a fantastic Sunday, surrounded by the people you care about! As for the rest of you, have a great day!
Love y'all! Bye!
