Moms are there for your whole life… You don’t stop needing them ever. And as much as I love my real mom, there are other moms that have taught me lessons along the way, and some of them weren’t real.
So here are eight pop culture moms who, like my real mom, have and continue to teach me lessons whether I want them to or not.
Soup makes you strong.
Link’s Grandmother from The Legend of Zelda
The Elixir soup, made for you as the Hero, replenishes your life energy and magic power — just like my grandmother and mother, who both agree that chicken soup has magical healing powers. And while we’re on it, the “Elixir Soup” has an amazing resemblance to chicken soup. The lesson here: If they want to feed you, let them.
Lorelai Gilmore “I need coffee in an IV”
The importance of coffee.
Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls
Among the quick wit and astounding amount of dialogue in the show, many things come through. The most important? I learned that you can run on coffee and that coffee can be the most important fuel to get you through they day, any day. It is after all much more who I am than the overused “I’m afraid that once your heart’s involved, it all comes out in moron.”
“Try again. Fail Better.”
Nancy Botwin from Weeds
Mothers the world over have been telling us that we have to try. Sometimes they instill in us that we can do anything, which is why I absolutely adore this quote. It’s her answer to the question “Have you learned nothing from three years behind bars?” Her response of “Try again, fail better” may be one of the best lessons ever. Because success is never a guarantee; sometimes failing better is the best shot we may get.
I need coffee in an IV
People are idiots and there are dumb ideas.
Malory Archer from Archer
You’ve heard it all before, “there are no stupid questions,” and that could in fact be true, despite what I hear from time to time, but that doesn’t hold water when it comes to people or ideas. There are in fact people who are idiots, not all of whom are dumb, and there are in fact dumb ideas, which we sometimes think of as stupid. Malory tells it how it is, and for that I thank her.
Always be yourself.
Marge Simpson from The Simpsons
This seems to be a common lesson Marge is instilling in her kids and by extension, us the audience, or her surrogate children. Now the quote most often used is “Always be yourself. If you want to be sad, honey, be sad. We’ll ride it out with you, and when you get finished feeling sad, we’ll still be there.” Now, there is obviously, the other lesson here that it’s ok to be sad, but in truth not lying about our emotions is about being ourselves, so that’s what I’m going with.
Mrs Gump
Life is like a box of chocolates.
Mrs. Gump from Forrest Gump
Though the official quote is “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” The concept is simple and the lesson isn’t necessarily one I took to heart back in 1994. But I think it’s something that we get a better perspective on as we get older.
We’ll always be children to our mothers.
Jean Weir from Freaks and Geeks
“Mom, I’m in ninth grade,” was Sam’s response to his mother’s “You’re not going trick or treating?” But in truth, it doesn’t matter how old we get, feel, or look. Our mothers will always see us as their little baby. That’s just the way it is, deal with it.
Call your mother. It’ll be good for you.
Ness’s Mom in Earthbound
Call Your Mother
In Earthbound, Ness is afflicted with one of the most unique “illnesses” in all of RPG history. When the young hero of Earth becomes homesick, a quick call to his mother cures what ails him. Otherwise, he becomes sluggish, sad, and pretty much ineffective – just like you when you miss your mom! Now, homesick or not, we should call our mothers more regularly than Ness does, because it is good for us.
There you have it. Our own real moms, just like our pop culture moms, are always looking out for us, or at least looking to teach us and make us feel better.
Happy Mother’s Day!