Mothers of all Mothers

So, yesterday was Mother's Day. I'm not a HUGE fan of Mother's Day, but I do enjoy the little simple pampering...like lounging on the couch all day to watch a marathon of MTV's Teen Moms and having my DH run out to get me a McGriddle for breakfast and Taco Bell for dinner. It doesn't take much to please me. I also like having the fact that I can yell out to my arguing, LOUD kids "NO FIGHTING TODAY!!! IT'S MOTHER'S DAY!!!" And then they simmer down and take their fight into the next room and continue in loud whispers.

But Mother's Day is Mother's Day. A great day to ponder about the different mothers in your life. I had a great mother. A mother that there is no way I can live up too. She was a legend and a saint. Seriously, ask anyone that knew her.

And I am lucky to be blessed with a Mother In Law that is kind, loving, and considerate. She is not pushy, always has advice, but never insists on her opinion. I have heard Mother In Law horror stories and breath a sigh of relief that I do not live such a life.

But what about the bad mothers? They are out there. We hear about them in the news. And of course, movies love a bad mother. Just take the Mother of all Mothers in Hollywood.....Mommie Dearest.

Faye Dunaway took the allegedly true story of Joan Crawford and her relationship with her daughter, Christina, and portrayed her as the most iconic evil mother ever to hit the screen. She was not impersonating a famous, real life actress. This was not a biography. This was a horror movie and Faye was a monster.

Who could forget the classic "No Wire Hangers EVEEEERRRRR!!!" scene? The cold cream slathered on Faye's face, her hair pulled back in a band, her eyes wild and her lips grim. It was awful. It was nightmarish. And to top it off, she beat the poor child with the wire hanger to make a point. Growing up, I had the occasional smack upside the head, Italian style. My Irish friends had the wooden spoon. But nobody got the hanger. That was just wrong.

In Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, Mo'Nique's performance makes Joan Crawford look like a puppy playing rough house. Mo'Nique plays a mother named Mary (ironic, huh?) who is perhaps the most disgusting, self centered, abusive mother to ever be projected on the screen. I don't have the words to describe what this woman puts her daughter and grandchildren through. As disturbing as she is, Mo'Nique's performance is a must see. Her performance is what made this movie one of the most talked about movies of the 2009-2010 season.

One other movie mother that always made me think "What kind of a mother would do that???" is Lisa Blount as Lois Brown in Great Balls of Fire. She was Jerry Lee Lewis' Mother In Law and she pretty much sat back, watched, and allowed her young, VERY YOUNG, teen daughter to carry on with her much older cousin and eventually become his child bride. I know...I know...second cousin, twice removed or some hogwash like that. It still doesn't change the fact that Myra was a CHILD when she married Rock and Roll Legend Jerry Lee Lewis. And her mother stood there and allowed it to happen. Most people were creep out by Jerry Lee (who was pretty much a pedophile in this case) by I was always more creeped out by the mother. The mother is supposed to fight for her child and protect her child and keep the pedophile as FAR WAY from her child as possible. The mother is not supposed to watch her crying daughter pack up her clothes in her fold away doll house and be taken away to be some perv's wife at the tender age of thirteen.

As interesting, horrifying, or campy some movie mothers can be, it's fun to watch them for the entertainment value. It's always nice to sit back after the movie and think..."THANK GOD my mother isn't like that!!" Helps us appreciate Mom just a little bit more. Especially when we were teens and were ticked off because Mom wouldn't let us do things OUR way. We could sulk all we wanted, but once we saw Joan and her wire hangers maybe we would see things just a little differently.