Soap Opera Moms

[cassadine1991]

Who are your favorite soap opera mothers?

[DramatistDreamer]

The only problem is that some of the most interesting mothers on soaps were pathological in the worst ways.

One soap mother that seemed like a great mom was Kim Hughes (ATWT).  When she called you "kiddo", you might get a warm hug or she might want to throttle you (which she never did) but Kim Hughes was always sincere and she loved her sons.

She was the kind of parent that a kid should always feel comfortable seeking out in times of need.  When Andy was in trouble and would try to hide it from his parents (we knew why he wouldn't want John to know), it would lead most to ask "why didn't he go to his mother Kim for help?").  Kim was that type of mother.  It would've been great had viewers had a chance to see Kim be a grandmother.  She'd likely be great at that too.

[j swift]

Another World's Ada Lucas-Davis-Downs-McGowan-Hobson mother of Rachel Davis-Matthews-Clark-Cory-Cory-Hutchins and Nancy McGowan was a great representation of all of the values of a modern mom. 

 

She maintained strict boundaries with her kids and told them when they were wrong, but unlike Mona Kane who was constantly befuddled, consternated, and confused by her daughter Erica, Ada understood her daughters and their motives  While Mona was constantly rolling her eyes and wondering how Erica got herself into such extreme situations, Ada knew exactly what Rachel wanted from men was based on her relationship with her neer-do-well father Gerald.  Also, (not to drag her but..) Mona was once a showgirl who had relations with slick cabaret stars like Nick Davis, so it always seemed rather disingenuous that once she married the prestigious Dr. Charles Tyler suddenly she couldn't understand Erica's desire for stardom and adulation.  Perhaps it was because Ada was learning lessons from successive relationships contemporaneously with Rachel, but she functioned not just as a "talk to", but someone who would explain Rachel to the audience.  I also appreciated how liberated she was, she always warned her daughters against marrying for money, and she always had a side hustle to make some cash.   

 

She also avoided many of the mistakes of the other mothers of Bay City.  Unlike Donna Love, Ada never forgot that she gave birth to any of her kids.  Unlike Iris Cory, she never lied about who was the father of her children.  And unlike Victoria Hudson, she always knew who was the father of her children, before she gave birth to them.   

 

And Constance Ford had the most unusual combination of butch/glamour on soaps.

 

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[Khan]

Wait, Mona had been a showgirl?

 

I agree that Ada and Kim were especially great soap moms.  They seemed to speak at times on behalf of the audience.

[BoldRestless]

She died very soon after I started watching but Maureen Bauer on GL seemed like a very realistic and loving mom.

 

And of course Mary Williams from Y&R with her sauerkraut and spare ribs!

[All My Shadows]

Even though she's already been dragged in this thread, Mona Kane is one of my favorites. Yes, she was absolutely Erica's biggest enablers, but I love her unconditional support for all of her daughter's antics. Regardless of the situation, if Mona believed that Erica did not mean harm to anyone, she went in 100%. She told off whichever lover Erica might have in the doghouse at any given time, she celebrated her successes, and she mourned her failures. She wanted the best for her baby, and when it became clear that she, herself, could not provide it for her, she supported all of Erica's schemes to get it for herself. At the end of the day, Mona was Erica's ride-or-die.

 

She's especially easier to love because she was there when Erica was still written more as an opportunistic brat than a villain. Is it really a coincidence that only years after Mona's death, we saw Erica kidnapping babies and sh!t? Mona kept her grounded and connected to the rest of Pine Valley during the early 80s, and her loss was a huge blow to the show and to Erica's story.

Not many soap characters have a catchphrase, but Mona's "Oh, Erica..." is iconic.

[ReddFoxx]

Stephanie Forrester: She did often go too far, but she was protective of her children and even stepped up for Bridget (her diatribe against Brooke and Deacon is still thrilling to watch).

 

Victoria Lord: She was always concerned about her children, but was never really a meddling type (at least from portions of the show I've seen). And you have to love how she temporarily shook off Tori and emerged when Jessica was trapped in the fire at Llanfair.

 

 

[amybrickwallace]

One of my favorites is Carolee Simpson Allison Aldrich (The Doctors). Both actresses to play the role - Carolee Campbell and Jada Rowland - brought such warmth and sweetness to the part to begin with - and it translated into mothering. Carolee stayed in a horrible marriage with an angry, abusive man (Dr. Dan Allison) because she didn't want to leave little Billy alone with him. After Dan died, Carolee and her next husband, Dr. Steve Aldrich, took him in. 

 

Carolee also became a devoted mom to Steve's son from his failed marriage to Dr. Karen Werner - Erich. Karen was presumed dead for several years and Carolee and Steve fought for custody when it was clear that Karen was making Erich's life unhappy. Carolee saw Erich through everything from two heart surgeries, hospitalization from a tick bite, a kidnapping and the custody fight.

 

Carolee and Steve only had one child together - Stephanie. Though she has always been referred to more than seen, the love is obvious there too.

 

Through all the catastrophes (including being kidnapped by Steve's other ex-wife and stashed in a sanitarium, while being catatonic!) and being a working mom, Carolee has often been seen doing things like baking cookies with the kids and reading to them. Little scenes like that are so great - and so lacking in daytime today.

[Khan]

 

Yeah, Viki was a terrific mom...when she was Viki.  When she wasn't, well, you know what happened.  (Hi, Tess!)

 

 

Judging from how Billy turned out, though, I'd say staying in that rotten marriage and then raising him afterward w/ Steve didn't do Billy a lick of good, lol.

[amybrickwallace]

 

Well, it wasn't for lack of trying on her part. 

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[Khan]

 

LOL!

 

But seriously.  Something I never understood about THE DOCTORS was how they let Billy become so irredeemably bad in its' final years.  It's one thing for him to grow into being a brooding anti-hero who wrestles all the time with his personal demons -- I don't think Alec Baldwin could have played him (or any character) any other way.  But, when Alec's Billy DOES show up in Madison, he's out to murder Greta for her money; and then, it's just downhill from there, until he's bumped off at the end by not one but TWO people.  Such a terrible trajectory for a character that actually was part of the show's legacy (not just as Dan's adopted son, but also as Toni's half-brother and Michael Paul's half-brother) once upon a time.

 

I would have rather seen him have SOME redeeming qualities, even if it's just being a good big brother to Erich and Stephanie; and halfway decent dad to his and Greta's kid.

[amybrickwallace]

I have no idea, really. Maybe they should have just cast Alec in a different role and hired someone else to play Billy. Supposedly, Shawn Campbell was fired in summer 1979 for smoking weed in the halls of 30 Rock (!!!).

[Khan]

 

Oh, FFS sake, lol!

 

Anyways.  Speaking of TD and soap opera moms, what about Althea Davis?  Sure, it wasn't easy to parent a petty, sniveling bitch, who was always out to get her for no good reason.  (Yes, Penny, I'm talking about your uppity ass). But I think Althea gave it a valiant try.

[amybrickwallace]

No, Althea sure didn't have it easy!! Still, Liz Hubbard had two very talented young actresses playing Penny "The Omen" Davis - Jami Fields and Julia Duffy.

[BetterForgotten]

While we're on the topic of a role played by La Hubbard, I know I'll get a lot of flack for this, but I always thought Lucinda Walsh was a great mother underneath it all. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I always felt like she led with her heart and I always believed her intentions were good when it came to Lily and Sierra.