10 Movies That Make Me Want To Be A Better Mother

I love movies.  Partly because they take me out of my reality and let me focus on challenges that are not my own, and mostly because they expand my horizons to appreciate life beyond my own personal experiences.

Here is a list of ten films that gave me an overwhelming sense of honor and responsibility for being a mom… reminding me to appreciate my beautiful children, even when it’s hard, and do my best at being their mother.

 

1. The Impossible

I recently watched this movie and it was actually the one that inspired me to write this list.  Through many tears I realized just how quickly life can turn… and how I want to be the best mother I can possibly be especially in the moments I have control over my surroundings.

 

2. The Joy Luck Club

These women, these stories… so varied and yet so universal in their themes of love, of loss, of living even in the midst of hardship.  This movie reminds me how much I want to pass on the best parts of myself to my children; to give them everything I wish I had and help them learn from my life lessons.

 

3. North Country

Standing up for yourself, for what you believe in, for the people around you… even in the midst of persecution, of social stigma, of immense pressure.  What an example this mother was.

 

4. The Help

We cannot choose what times we live in and what issues we will face.  But we can choose to be courageous no matter the consequences.  Love and courage (or lack of either) are so touching throughout this film from women, both mothers and those without children.

 

5. One True Thing

This movie tells the story of a woman who is forced to put her life on hold in order to care for her mother who is dying of cancer… it’s about finding true joy, forgiving, accepting, and moving on.

 

6. Pay It Forward

Doing your best and being inspired by the best parts of your child, the innocence and the desire to make the world a better place, is what the mother learned in this film.  Parents mean so much to their children, and we can always do our best to improve for their sake.

 

7. Changeling

I must say upfront this movie was very, very disturbing.  In fact I even wondered if I should include it on this list for that reason.  However it really, really did make me want to be a better mother… just by having my children safe in my house, and remembering what a blessing that is in itself.

 

8. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Mental illness, Southern pride, trying to leave a painful past behind, realizing the history behind your childhood and learning your parents’ reality which you could not see as a child… this is a moving story that gets me teary time and time again.

 

9. Little Women

The relationship of these four sisters to their mother – how much they love, respect, and look up to her – is absolutely inspiring to me.  This mom believes in her children and loves them as they are, and they each flourish – in their own way – because of it.

 

10. Precious

It is unimaginable what some children have to go through.  To think of all the challenges parents put their children through (challenges of any kind), and how these tests are going to affect them (for good or bad) is one of the main impressions this movie left on me.  It made me want to pick up my kids, hug them close, and give them a mother who respects and cherishes them.

 

What have I missed?  Please share your inspirational mom movies, I would love to find out what you have enjoyed.