Saturday, May 12, 2012

Non-Mom Moms

I'm one of the lucky ones. I grew up in a family with lots of love. I still have my mom and we still spend a lot of time together. Not everyone's so lucky.

Mother's Day always makes me think of the kids I've worked with over the years who don't have moms who live with them (or don't have them at all). Thankfully, most of them have someone in their life who takes on that role to help them through.

You don't have to be a mom to be a mom ... if you know what I mean. :)

Some of my favourite non-mom moms from my favourite stories are:

  •  Matthew & Marilla from Anne of Green Gables - they pulled off a great tag-team mom for the lonley little girl and showed her how to love and be strong
  • Gandalf in LotR - he really takes care of Bilbo and makes him a stronger, better person
  • The Receiver of Memory in The Giver - Jonas has never experienced love. It's an un-used emotion in the dystopian community. The Receiver gives Jonas memories and strength and courage and hope .. and love
  • Mrs. Beale in Maniac Magee - she takes in this runaway kid from the other side of the town and treats him like her own. She ignores the customs of her town and not only loves him, she gives him the thing he wants/needs more than anything else in the world - an address.
Moms make you better, stronger, happier people. They give you the skills required to be an adult. They give you unconditional love and a kick in the pants when you need it. Thanks Mom!

How about you? Who are some of your favourite non-mom moms?

34 comments:

Buttercup said...

Great post, Jemi. But anything with Anne of Green Gables is a great post!

Jemi Fraser said...

Buttercup - I so agree! Anne is probably the most influential book in my life! :)

Christine Rains said...

Wonderful post. The Giver was a fantastic book. I like the teacher in Matilda.

Jemi Fraser said...

Christine - I don't remember Matilda very well - I'm going to have to go back and check it out!

klahanie said...

Well said, Jemi. And makes me realise how much I miss my mother over in Vancouver.
Still, the good part is that she gets two Mother's Day wishes from me. The British one in March and of course, the one in North America :)
My favourite "non-mom moms" Sorry spell check. Wants me to spell 'mom' as 'mum' :) Anyway, my favourite would be....oops, I'd have to think about that...

Stephanie Thornton said...

I loved Matthew and Marilla in Green Gables!

Mother's Day was really hard for me when I was younger, but then I realized I should celebrate all of my non-mom moms. Now it's a day to celebrate a lot of wonderful women!

Jemi Fraser said...

Gary - my folks emigrated from Scotland, so I always have to stop myself from spelling mom with a 'u' as well. It always looks better that way! :)

Stephanie - they were the best! I always try to get my students to realize there are a lot of non-mom moms in the world - and they're wonderful!

erica and christy said...

My 11-year-old son's good friend lost his mom to cancer over two years ago and even though he has lots of loving family left, I'm sure this day is very difficult for him, his brother, and their dad.

And now I might have to dig my Anne of Green Gables out of storage, it's been too long since I read them!
erica

Terra said...

Mathew and Marilla in Green Gables are tops.

Old Kitty said...

Non mom mom - what a tongue twister!

Mama Ingalls from Little House of the Prairie!

And big brother Darrell in The Outsiders looking after his little brothers!

Take care
x

Beth said...

What a lovely post. I'm with you on the Cuthberts in Anne of Green Gables. And you're right - those of us with great moms are so blessed!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Anne of Green Gqbles was one of my favorite early novels. I still have my Mom but so many of my friends don't. Mother's Day won't be the same without her. Right now it's just about her. I don't want it to be just about me.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great post Jemi. Sad for your kids who don't have moms in their life, but I'm glad to hear they had someone to fill the role. That's great that you remind your kids of this too.

Jemi Fraser said...

Erica - it's got to be a tough day for those kids. I reread Anne last summer and enjoyed it just as much as when I was a kid!

Terra - I agree! They really are the best :)

Old Kitty - I forgot about Darry from the Outsiders - great choice! :)

Beth - we are indeed! The Cuthberts were awesome! :)

Yvonne - I agree! Mom's Day can be a lot of fun!

Natalie - It's been a long time since I've taught a class where every kid lived with a mom. Thankfully most of them have someone who takes on the role!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Can't think of any non-moms this early in the morning, but my own mother was awesome!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I know many teachers who are not bio moms themselves but feel they are moms over the classroom. Women everywhere influence. Let's hope it's in a positive way.

Hope you get to spend some time today with you mom.

T

Tanya Reimer said...

Awww. So perfect! Now I'll forever see Gandalf as a mother figure. Lololol.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alex - mine too! :)

Teresa - I know I have to specify when I say 'my kids' whether I'm talking about 'my real kids' or 'my students' :) And my own mom will be here in an hour!

Tanya - he always comes across to me that way! :)

Emily R. King said...

Fun idea! I think Hagrid is a good non-mom mom. He doesn't only take Harry under his wing, but dragons, and other odd creatures.

Happy Mother's Day!

Jemi Fraser said...

Emily - Hagrid's a great choice! He really loves his creatures - and his kids!! :)

mshatch said...

Mrs Weasley; she was an awesome mom and a great substitute for Harry's mom.

DEZMOND said...

I have a mom and dad, but they were never really present in my life in a meaningful way, so teachers in school often thought me was an orphan :)

Deniz Bevan said...

Love the way you managed to link Anne of Green Gables and LOTR.
There's also Mrs Weasley and Harry [g]

Jemi Fraser said...

Ms Hatch - Mrs. Weasley is a Perfect choice!! :)

Dezzy - that kind of situation is too often true. So many kids grow up wihtout that steady, loving relationship. It's sad.

Deniz - yeah, those 2 normally don't go together so well! I can't believe I forgot Mrs. Weasley!! :)

Nas said...

Wonderful post Jemi! And so true!

Jemi Fraser said...

Nas - thanks! I know so many kids find this day hard - I wish we all had it good! :)

Harvee said...

So wishing that everyone has a mother or mother figure in their lives! Nice post today!

Jemi Fraser said...

Harvee - thank you. I wish everyone had one of those - but sadly, the world doesn't work that way.

Ava Quinn said...

Wow! Mrs. Beale was a fantastic non-mom. "Met him eyeball for eye ball". I adored her and that book. Especially since it was set in the next town over from me (Norristown, PA). I knew all the spots. You can still visit the Elmwood Park Zoo and see the bison. And the band shell is still there next to it.

The Cuthberts were wonderful as well. Such a beautiful series.

Mrs. Weasley was so good for Harry, too!

Really cool post, Jemi!

Jemi Fraser said...

Ava - really??? I didn't realize it was set in a real town! That's completely awesome. My students will be THRILLED when I tell them! Thanks!! :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I've been a stand-in mom to some of the boys who played baseball for my husband. I still can't believe how their mothers couldn't be bothered to attend their games.

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - I know that feeling. It's so sad. We've cheered for so many kids over the years who didn't have anyone to cheer for them. So sad - especially when there is someone who should be there for them.

Ava Quinn said...

Yes, Jerry Spinelli is a Norristown native. I was born, went to church and was married in Norristown.

I also started my teaching career there by subbing. I used to bring his book and read it to the students. They'd be so excited, naming the places they knew. (Roosevelt Field, where Maniac caught the football is close to the zoo and band shell.)

I even took pictures of the locations he described in the book for my own classes when I taught fourth grade.

Jemi Fraser said...

Ava - that is so very, very awesome!! It's such a great book to read aloud to the kids! :)