Pop Culture Mums Who Raised Us (For Better or Worse)

Before we had real-life wisdom, boundaries, or therapy, many of us had TV, movie, and book mums showing us what parenting could look like—sometimes chaotic, sometimes iconic, sometimes downright terrible. But here’s to the fictional mums, aunts and mother figures who raised us when we didn’t know we were being raised.

🕯️ Aunt Jet and Aunt Frances (Practical Magic)
Chaotic witch aunties with big queer mum energy. Taught the Owens girls that midnight margaritas, protection spells, and unconditional love are all part of growing up magical (and messy). The blueprint for “we raised you our way, not the world’s way” parenting.

🍂 Sarah Nelson (Heartstopper)
Unproblematic supportive mum energy. Sarah sees her son’s queerness, meets it with love, patience, and actual listening skills. No fuss. No drama. Just doing what every parent should do.

👑 Moira Rose (Schitt’s Creek)
Chaotic. Overdressed. Emotionally stunted. Perfect. Moira may have been a mess, but she raised her kids to embrace their weirdness, their queerness, and their right to take up space—wigs included.

🍯 Miss Honey (Matilda)
The softest of soft mums, proving you don’t have to give birth to be a mother. She saw Matilda’s pain, believed in her magic, and gave her the love her real family never could. An icon of gentle parenting, found family, and quiet rebellion—all while rocking a cardigan.

🌈 Dr. Rainbow Johnson (Black-ish)
Doctor. Mum. Patron saint of “I’m fine, but I’m not fine.” Balanced a career, five kids, and Dre’s ego with humour, heart, and the occasional justified meltdown. Honestly? Superhero status confirmed.

🏠 Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)
Best friend and mum? Questionable boundaries? Absolutely. Lorelai taught us that being the fun mum isn’t always the best choice, but damn if she didn’t make us wish we could have Pop-Tarts for dinner and sarcastic banter for dessert.

🛸 Joyce Byers (Stranger Things)
Would fight the government, the Upside Down, and an interdimensional monster with nothing but a cigarette and Christmas lights. Put her in the Movie Mum Hall of Fame already.

🏳️‍🌈 Lena Adams Foster (The Fosters)
Lena—the blueprint for calm, queer, emotionally intelligent parenting. She mothered every lost kid that walked through her door and showed up every damn time because DNA doesn’t make a family. Love does.

🍸 Rosemary Penderghast (Easy A)
Proof that a supportive, sex-positive, zero-shame mum can raise an absolute icon. Rosemary served peak fun mum energy, casually dismantling purity culture over pancakes. Also says things like: “I had a totally slutty phase in high school. We called it the 80s.”

🎨 Joyce Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Single mum. Gallery owner. Professional vampire denier. Joyce started clueless, but her death remains one of TV’s most devastating, real moments. She didn’t have powers—she had love. And honestly? That was enough.

Pop culture mums gave us plenty—chaos, comfort, drama, and the occasional life lesson wrapped in a one-liner. But real life? That’s where the real superheroes live.

So this one’s for my mum—the woman who raised me on her own, who carried more than anyone should have to, and who did it with love, grit, and more strength than I’ll ever be able to put into words.

The strongest person I’ve ever known. The real MVP. My forever favourite.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mum. This one's for you. ❤️