Best TV Mum moments
Happy Mothers Day! To celebrate the big day, I posted a countdown of the ultimate on-screen mums earlier in the week, counting down the characters that give us mum-goals. The thing is, TV isn’t very good at showing us mums – if they’re from Hollywood they stick-thin and have managed to spend three hours putting a trowel-load of make up on that morning; if they’re from the UK, they’ve got nothing to talk about other than what their kids are having for dinner. But it got me thinking about all those moments where TV manages to perfectly sum up motherhood. The ones that strike a chord or give us the feels – because let’s face it they’re few and far between. Here are the times that TV has got that mum-feeling spot on.
Lynette in Desperate Housewives
We’ve been all the Desperate Housewives characters at some point on our motherhood journey but Lynnette – with her three boys born in one year – really captures that overwhelmed feeling. I could have chosen so many Lynette scenes but this one really sums up those times when complete strangers think they know how to parent your children better than you.
Chilli in Bluey
This episode perfectly captures all of those new parent pressures: the exhaustion, trying to work out how to fix an activity gym or baby carrier together, frantically googling milestones and worrying if your baby isn’t meeting them. Chilli’s narration: ‘We were all learning to do things for the first time. I just felt like I was doing everything wrong,’ sums up that self-doubt that lives in most new mums.
Lois in Family Guy
If our children get bullied (like Stewie does in this episode), we may not go this far – but we sure as hell would want to. Lois encapsulates that full tiger mother energy if we think our kids are being hassled. Even before I had kids, I knew this was one of the best TV mum moments.
Charlotte in And Just Like That
If, like Harry, your husband thinks he’s nailing it because he helps out with the odd job when you ask, then you need to introduce him to this clip. Charlotte rightly points out that Harry is doing the bare minimum and she is asking- no, expecting him to improve. A perfect example of how uneven the mental load is for mums.
Marge in The Simpsons
Even though she’s an icon, I couldn’t put Marge in my list of ultimate TV mum goals because she’s so damn underappreciated. But this clip is her fighting back by indulging in a bit of road rage strikes a chord because I’ve been known for a bit of angry driving myself when I get cut up for the last parent/ child space at Sainsburys. Marge: we’re with you and we get it.
Aunt Vivian in Fresh Prince of Bel Air
We all love being mums – but it also doesn’t stop us looking back and missing the person we used to be before we had kids. Aunt Vivian shows this perfectly when she goes to a dance audition a few days before turning 40. Keep watching until the end for the added realism for when we try to act like we’re still in our early 20s.
Carla and Jordan in Scrubs
Not only is true third trimester pregnancy being represented at the beginning of this clip, but Jordan and Carla’s conversation afterwards, however horrifying to Turk, normalises the pressure of being a new parent, particularly with postnatal anxiety or depression.
Lucille in Arrested Development
Something for the mums of bigger kids. No matter how independent your children become, when you see them overwhelmed and under pressure you can’t help but want to make it all better.
Gloria in Barbie
When I first heard this speech, I thought it perfectly summed up how messed up the world is for my daughter and all the crap that comes with being a woman. What I completely forgot until my second watching is that I’m still living in that world: Be a full time mum, but have a career. Have a wide circle of friends but don’t miss a moment. Indulge in the messy play and mud kitchens but you, your family and your house need to look perfect. And you can’t feel anything other than lucky or grateful. The toxic femininity is real.
Do whatever YOU want to do this Mothers Day and don’t have a moment of Mum Guilt. Have a good one ladies xx
