Final SMORE
Representations of Motherhood
Motherhood in Novels
Motherhood in Films
Before this unit, I never realized how absent mothers are from most major films. And even when a mother figure is present, they are one-dimensional characters similar to mothers in novels. Considering how mothers are a huge part of our everyday life, and how movie-watching is a popular past-time, it’s a little unsettling how mothers are portrayed in movies, if they’re even portrayed at all. I feel like most mothers in films are either crazy or incompetent in some way—there are very few movie mothers that I can relate to.
Motherhood on Television
Mothers in the News
Mothers in Advertisements
Motherhood in Magazines
The Feminine Mystique
Motherhood in Disney Films
Motherhood in Children and Teen Media
Surveys
Motherhood in Music
I liked this project because it made me realize how beautiful my mother really is. If I was going to write a song about my mother, it would have been the song I chose, “Mother Like Mine” by The Band Perry. It perfectly describes the way I feel about my own mom. Overall, I think music is the medium which portrays motherhood in the most positive light. Most of the songs were sappy and sentimental, which is a good thing because music is so embedded in our culture. It was also fun getting to see everyone else’s mother and how they chose to tell their story through their pictures.
Letter to My Mom
Dear Mom,
If this class has taught me one thing, it’s this…motherhood is the absolute hardest but rewarding job there is. Words cannot express how much respect I have gained for you while taking this class. The idea of raising 6 healthy, intelligent, God-fearing, respectful, and successful human beings in today’s world seems an almost impossible task. No wonder everyone we know calls you Super Mom. You really are my hero and I will never be able to adequately express our gratitude for everything you have done for me. But I’m going to try…thank you for raising me to do things on my own even when I didn’t want to. Thank you for always having a hot breakfast and dinner ready for us when I was a kid. Thank you for letting me crawl into your bed at night when I was sick or had a bad dream. Thank you for teaching me the power of hard work and discipline. Thank you for raising me with a compassionate heart. Thank you for the endless hours you helped me with homework. Thank you for letting me walk into my first day of pre-school all by myself even when it probably broke your heart to do so. Thank you for showing me I’m a lot tougher than I sometimes think. Thank you for always reassuring me that everything will be alright. But most importantly, thank you for being my best friend. I know this doesn’t begin to cover it, but hopefully you get the idea that I’m more grateful than I sometimes show. The world would be a much better place if everyone had a mom like you, but I’m lucky I get to call you mine.
Love,
Mary