Full Moon Dreaming: Let's look at mothers!

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Let's look at mothers!

Happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there, whether your children are human or furry! I thought we'd have a little fun today and take a look at some mothers throughout history. You know all mothers are not created equal, right? Some are better than others.

1) Ma Barker - Also known as Kate Baker, aka Arizona Donnie Barker. Born in Missouri in 1873, she achieved notoriety as the mother of several criminals. However, rumors that she was the head of this gang of miscreants has been greatly exaggerated, and at best, she might have been an accomplice. The spin on her as the leader was probably to assuage the guilt of the FBI at gunning down an old lady during the final shoot-out with the Barkers in Florida in 1935.

In 1970, Roger Corman made a film about Ma Barker and her brood - Bloody Mama - starring St. Louisan Shelley Winters, in which he depicted them as vicious, bloodthirsty and depraved, not to mention homosexual and incestuous. I'm not sure there is any evidence to support any of this. Typical Hollywood drama.

2. Mother Goose - the mythical author of a number of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, which are still

told to children even today. She is usually depicted as an elderly country woman in a tall hat and shawl, similar to the peasant costume worn in Wales in the early 20th century, but she is also depicted as a goose. There are many theories as to who was the real Mother Goose, but no proof to support any of them.

3. Mary, mother of Jesus - One of the most well-known and most revered mothers of all time,

because of the fame of her son. The story goes that Mary was approached by a messenger from God and hailed with the news that she was chosen to carry God's son. This translates to the first - and only, as far as I know - immaculate conception. Seems odd this only happened once. My theory is that before she got married to Joseph, she became pregnant by another man, maybe even a Roman soldier, and Jesus' historians changed the facts to suit themselves. She has been touted as a very virtuous woman, throughout history. She had other children, after marrying Joseph, and lived to bury her first-born upon his death at the hands of the Romans.

4. Magda Goebbels - wife of Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels, she was a devout follower of

Adolf Hitler, and so hated the idea of surviving his death that she and her husband arranged to commit suicide, and they took their six children with them. It's the children I feel sorry for, not the parents.

5. Paula Sims - This story took place in nearby Illinois. Paula and her husband Robert had three children, two daughters and a son. The daughters were kidnapped on separate occasions, from two different homes, and ended up murdered, while the son survived. It later turned out that Paula had killed the girls, because they were not the sons she and her husband wanted. I believe she's still serving time for that. What a horrible mother.

6. Carol Brady - This widowed mother of three daughters met the widowed father of three sons - and

the rest is history. She took on the role of stepmother to the sons, and that's how they became a family. Florence Henderson played Carol, while Robert Reed played the part of her loving husband, Mike. Ironically, Robert Reed was gay. Also, while the series was filming, I understand that Florence had a thing with the young actor who played her stepson, Greg Brady, played by Barry Williams. The Brady Bunch was the epitome of the wholesome family, and Carol was a shining beacon for mothers everywhere, especially those faced with the challenge of the blended family.

7. Mother Teresa - She was a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary. She lived most of her life in India, although she was born in Macedonia, of Albanian descent. She was a controversial figure both before and after her death, and received numerous honors for the work she did with poor people. She has been criticized for her anti-contraception stance, as well as for the substandard conditions of the hospices for which she was responsible. In 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified, which earned her the title of "blessed", but before she can be canonized, another miracle needs to occur, according to the guidelines set down by the Church.

Now for some famous mothers and their children.

1. Judy Garland and Liza Minelli