The Worst Moms in Literature
This time of year, drugstore aisles are packed with cards extolling the virtues of the Best Mom Ever. It seems that the happy families Tolstoy once spoke of are truly alike enough to warrant the mass printing of cards with specific childhood memories of cookies, homework help, rides to soccer practice. There are apparently also enough maternal saints to make "Thanks for putting up with me" cards popular.
It's rare for a mother to give her child a "Thanks for putting up with me card," but that doesn't mean they aren't deserved from time to time. While some of us are lucky enough to have the Best Mom Ever all to ourselves, millennia of world history have shown that many moms tend to be more Joan Crawford than Donna Reed.
In honor of your mother and totally decent mothers everywhere, we offer this selection of some of the meanest mothers in literature. There ought to be a mother in this mix who can make you appreciate all the mistakes your mother didn't make — unless your mother is the type to actually steal children's souls, in which case you really do have the worst mom ever.
