Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I would write about some of the best movie moms of all time.  But first, do you know the history of Mother’s Day?

According to Wikipedia, “The modern American holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Today St Andrew’s Methodist Church now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Her campaign to make “Mother’s Day” a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers, because she believed that they were “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”

Now that we know the history, what are some of the greatest movie moms?  I’ve compiled a list of the warmest, most memorable and even the baddest moms in movie history…

“The Blind Side” (2009)
Based on the real-life story of NFL pro Michel Oher, who blossomed from a homeless teen to an All American offensive lineman under the kind guidance of de facto mother Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock). Bullock won an Academy Award for her four-star, six-hanky performance as the feisty Southern woman.

“Terms of Endearment” (1983)
Shirley MacLain took home an Academy Award for her portrayal of a mother struggling to connect with both her daughter (Debra Winger) and an alcoholic suitor (Jack Nicholson). Spanning three decades, the Best Picture winner is still worth sobbing over.

“The Kids Are All Right” (2010)
Separately they may have had their flaws, but together Annette Benning’s doctor and Julianne Moore’s wannabe landscaper provide a loving modern family for their two children — the results of a sperm donor that won’t stay anonymous.

“Places In the Heart” (1984)
Yes, we like her, we really liked Sally Field’s turn in the Depression-era drama, “Places in the Heart,” as a widow struggling to hold on to her family’s farm.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)
On her way to stopping a nuclear apocalypse and becoming the prototype of the female action star, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor remade herself into a muscular warrior strong enough to reload a shotgun one-handed. All to defend her only son from a homicidal robot sent from the future. You know, that old chestnut.

“Bambi” (1942)
Disqualified from our list because she’s not a human character, the Great Princess of the Forest (voiced by Paula Winslow) raises her son to be wary of humans… only to be shot to death herself (sniff) by a hunter.

Who would you rank as the best movie/TV mom?

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