Family business part I

It's time for the best mums to come to the limelight. Now by the term best we don't necessarily mean the most suited to be a mother, but once again their rankings are determined by the intrigue of their characters and also by how much they care about their children. 

1. Mrs. Brisby in The Secret of NIMH. There was never any argument here; she's incredibly resourceful, brave and caring. She would do anything for her kids.

2. Maria in The Sound of Music. Yeah, yeah, we know, she's not their biological mum and she starts out as the kids' mentor, but she IS their mother in the end. She's very tender and optimistic. You'd want to tell all your problems to her and she would help just by being there.

3. Lisa Clarke in Taken. First of all, she's a single mum, and a really great one at that! We like her unconventional mothering. Her daughter is the single most important thing to her in life, which is why she ranks so high.

4. Mrs. Thornton in North & South. She's more severe than the previous characters and it shows in how she treats her children. Her daughter's a complete fool so Mrs. Thornton doesn't take any of her nonsense, but then she respects her son immensely and shows it freely.

5. Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Her only objective in life is to keep her son safe, and she does it in a pretty awesome kick-ass style.

6. Peg in Edward Scissorhands. She's a sweetheart and obviously very hospitable. We think all the kids in the neighbourhood must love her.

7. Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. She's the most humiliating mother, and we definitely would not want her to be our mum. But holy cow, is she entertaining! Also, she does care about her children's wellbeing, even though she's more concerned about their pecuniary welfare.

8. Paula in The Goodbye Girl. She's probably the most relatable mother on this list. Not that we have kids, but looking at our friends and family, we sure see a similarity. She loves her kid, but she's human as well, and doesn't play into the mythos of motherhood.

 

9. Lady Tremaine in Cinderella. Okay, she's a horrible person and a terrible stepmother, but she does take care of HER kids. In addition, she's an intriguing villain and character to boot.

10. Kate in East of Eden. Right, she wasn't, or isn't a good mother by any standards. Her character is so compelling though (especially as a mother) that she definitely earned her place here.