I remember a perfume commercial growing up that still sticks in my mind today.
It was a woman, singing: “I can bring home the bacon; fry it up in the pan…” (There was something about a man too…) When this aired in the 70’s, it was promoting feminism and the ideal that women can do all, have all, be all, etc.
Flash forward to what must be 40 years (yikes!) later… well no kidding lady! As a single, professional working mother, there’s no doubt in my mind that I can do all of the above and more. But, true confessions: it’s a tough gig and sometimes I just don’t feel like doing it all. Fortunately, I am very blessed. My son is beyond wonderful, and he makes the mothering part of my job pretty easy.
Let’s be real though… We all lead busy lives. Between our mutual schedules, we can pull in the driveway at close to 9 pm on some nights, and it can be tough to squeeze in some quality family time during the rush hour commute. So, in honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be fun to put the spotlight on some movie mothers that still gave it their all when faced with way tougher circumstances than usual.
Kate McAllister (Catherine O’Hara) / Home Alone I & II
“Kevin!”OK, so she left Kevin at home! But, you have to admit that when she realized it, she moved heaven and earth to get back to him.
Kate just did what we all do… It takes a village, and sometimes we just need a little help. We all rely on some other folks to help us get it done, and that is A-OK.
(Lucky for us, too! Had Kevin made it to the right place on either trip, we wouldn’t have had these great, funny and heartwarming mother-son moments.)
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) / Aliens
“Get away from her , you b#%tch!”The theatrical release of Aliens didn’t include Ellen Ripley’s back story. In the director’s cut, we find that when Ellen shipped out originally, she left a daughter at home. She made promises that she was unable to keep. After her 57 years of hyper-sleep, she is heartbroken to learn that her daughter has now passed. This additional insight clarifies the reason why Ripley is immediately protective of Newt, and blindly risks her own life to rescue the child. Now, while I don’t plan on fighting off an alien invasion anytime soon (zombie apocalypse, maybe), I would do anything I could for my boy. I know that you would for your kids, too.
Honorable mention also goes to the Alien Queen as well, as her mothering instincts go into high gear when Ripley threatens her unborn children. I have to admit that the monster in me can rear its head on occasion, so best not to mess with my offspring either.
Sometimes, moms be scary!!
Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) / The Incredibles
“Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so!”Oh, the irony (wink, wink)… In this story, the mom is not only hero in theory, but also in reality!! After the supers are benched and secretly entrenched into society, Mrs. Incredible still has mad mothering skills. Helen Parr may be Elastigirl’s secret identity, but she’s a super mom to boot: keeping the peace at home without “stretching” herself too thin. (Oh, I’m so punny!)
When her children secretly crash her mission to save Mr. Incredible [from self-made monologuing villain, Syndrome], Helen keeps the kids safe, rescues her man, and gets them back home safely … all without breaking a sweat. We, supermoms, know we could save the kids and the world, too. NP. 😀
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) / Terminator I & II
“Oh, come on. Do I look like the mother of the future?!”There aren’t many mothers who go through quite the metamorphosis that Sarah Connor does in the first two Terminator films. We are introduced to her as a young waitress where the worst thing that she is dealing with is cranky kids and bad tippers. Then, in the blink of an eye, she is forced on the run by a maniacal machine programmed to kill her because of who she will… become? Huh? But ok! Sarah embraces this self-fulfilling prophecy so seriously that she puts herself in great peril to keep her son safe, and lucky for us, the rest of the world as well. Unfortunately, she sacrifices her relationship with her son in the process.
Lesson learned here? We all work hard to build a life for our families, but don’t let that keep us from enjoying them as well.
Helen Buckman (Diane Wiest) / Parenthood
Cheers for a second Helen! When you think of the movie Parenthood, it may not be Helen’s character that immediately comes to mind. However, she is the one that I identify with most, as I’m also raising a teenage son on my own. And, I think that I may have actually screamed “I have no life!” as well. (Sorry kiddo.) Helen reminds me that sometimes it is truly rough to keep all those plates spinning, and it is normal and okay to feel like that at times.
But, more fun-happy-proud-loving-joyful-silly moments outweigh those, by far. And, even though I can feel overwhelmed sometimes, I wouldn’t change my life. Not. One. Single. Moment.
Cindy Says: Celebrate , my friends! You’re doing great, so keep on keeping on, and doing what you do.
You are absolutely all stars in my book!!
