Who is your favourite fictional mother figure?

[DontTellMama]

Something I’ve been working on in therapy for a long time is what makes a good (enough) mother. And I’ve realised I don’t have any real life role models of good mothers (aunts and uncles on one side of the family are childless, and on the other side are estranged), so I’m looking to fiction for some help!

Who would you say is the best/your favourite fictional mother figure?

Great thread op. I don’t have a loving mother either. I thought molly Weasley - there’s a scene where she catches Harry twice to hug him as they all leave to board the train and he’s secretly pleased and I thought as a child how much I’d love one hug from a mother let alone two. Another choice is mrs Blume from all my mothers (which is a beautiful if heartbreaking exploration of motherly love, its failings and its breadth, and successes)

Moominmama. She's rock solid and unflappable, and would recognise Moomintroll whatever he looked like on the outside.

Miss Honey or Cora in the book The Names.

Mrs Large 🐘

The mother in "The Railway Children" - she writes stories to make ends meet. Or Marmee in Little Women.

Another one for Marilla Cuthbert.

Lois from Malcolm in the Middle

Sybil Rankin in the Discworld books. Even though she's not a mum for the first few she's in, she just radiates that energy.

also liked Bridget jones in the final movie

Agree with PPs about Molly Weasley and Emma Thompson in Love Actually

Alice, Taylor’s mother is also pretty exemplary!

I will nominate the mother in Miriam Toews’ All My Puny Sorrows — strong, funny, compassionate, determinedly unground down by tragedy, from a repressive fundamentalist religious background, but isolating only the warm and loving aspects of her faith, an adoring mother to her two very different daughters.

Interesting. I wanted to be like Lois but ended up 20% Lois and 80% Hal

Joe, Fanny and Bessie's mother in The Magic Faraway Tree.
There, consiatant but trusting.

Favourite to watch rather than someone I like as a person I guess!

I can’t help feeling that Anne can be elegant and saintly and understanding because she has Susan Baker doing all the grunt work

Yes. She took to her bed when [spoiler]. Most women wouldn't be able to do that - they'd just have to get on with things.

Mother figures:
Mrs Durrell
The Dowager Duchess of Denver
Kate Somerville - from the Lymond Chronicles.

Mrs Grey from Monica Edwards' Romney Marsh series is a little bit too good to be true.

Second this.

The recently deceased Brenda Fricker who won an Oscar for portraying the mother of Christy Brown in My Left Foot. So not really fictional but a brilliant portrayal. I loved her in it.

The mom from outnumbered.
stressed out to the max but her kids are happy and confident

Pam from Gavin and Stacey. As mum to an adult son it is lovely to see how she extends her mum role to his best mate Smithy whose own mum is somewhat lacking. While it's a comedy role it is also a lovely depiction of a warm and loving mum. Brilliantly written and acted.

Maria (Julie Andrews), The Sound of Music.
Raindrops on Roses scene. Every time.

My first choice too

A combination of Ma Larkin, Supergran, Claire Huxtable and Shirley Ambrose.

Lovely thread - OP I hope it helps you. My contribution is Anne and her mum from Motherland. And Marion, Julia’s mum, on that Christmas Eve episode.

Nina Banks from Father of the Bride. I think the relationships and the whole set up (the house and their day to day), is like a fairytale. I like the second one too.

Who was this?