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Don't train children with their mothers around.
Boss: "Who gave you permission to take a break?" Kitty: "I did." Boss: "And who are you?" Kitty: "I'm his mother." Boss: "Okay, then." — That '70s Show, "Eric's Burger Job"
"She is still my daughter. And she DOES NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION!" — Nita's mom tells it to Satan, Young Wizards.
The Almighty Mom can tell off anyone. Anyone. From her own kids to army generals to an Elder Thing from Beyond, you name it. Don't get fresh, don't talk back, and if she wants it done, chances are it'll get done.
She can reduce grown men to the level of children with only a sentence and a glare, and, guess what, she's always right. Not only can she put anyone in their place, but she knows the best way out of any situation.
Subtrope of Mama Bear, and often a characteristic of the Team Mom. Compare One Bad Mother. See also My Beloved Smother, which this can often seem from the embarrassed offspring's perspective.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Chi-Chi and, later, Bulma (pictured above) from Dragon Ball Z. Chi-Chi's vicious telling off of anyone who mistreats or endangers her children had been a long Running Gag in the series, until she tried to do it to Majin Buu, at which point it stops being funny.
- Pokémon's Delia Ketchum gets to be this in the third movie, Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown, when she stands up to Entei. It was a failed effort, but she gets points for trying.
- Partly invoked in the episode "Odd One Out" in the Halo anime. Two of the colonists on the planet claim "No one is stronger than Mama" as they and Spartan 1337 are about to face off against the Covenant warrior. At the end of the fight scene, the wreckage of the UNSC Frigate, which up to this point was just a background object, lights up and fires the Covenant into a Slipspace rupture. Mama was the frigate's AI.
- Miyako Sakuragawa's mother, Kyouko, from Private Prince.
- InuYasha's Sesshoumaru is a young youkai, so powerful, so willful, that even his father's allies fear him and even the antagonist plots carefully before crossing paths with him. His obsession with obtaining his younger brother's sword is such a problem that it can't be resolved until after direct intervention from his mother. Her ability to put her wayward son in his place is emotional. It's brutal. It's terrifying. It works.
Sesshoumaru's Mother: Did you think you were like a god or something? That as long as you had Tenseiga there was no fear of death? Sesshoumaru, it's something you had to learn, that when your heart wishes to save someone dear to you it must at the same time feel sadness and fear of losing them. Your father said this as well: Tenseiga is a healing sword. Even when wielded as a weapon, you must understand the weight of life and carry a compassionate heart when dispatching your enemy. That is what is necessary for the one who wields the Tenseiga which can save a hundred lives and send enemies to the Meidou.
Comic Books
Film
Literature
- Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan. She even tells of the parents of other children. In less than five minutes. By telling them to sit on a sofa.
- This is one of the main character's dubious "powers" in the novel Confessions of Super-Mom.
- In Robert A. Heinlein's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, the Moderator [Mayor] of Hong Kong Luna has our hero, Richard, under arrest when "Auntie" Washington arrives and manages to make them all just kids who have gotten together to praise Richard for his heroism. Naturally, they let Richard go rather than mess with Auntie.
- Mrs. Molly Prewett-Weasley to pretty much everyone in the Harry Potter series, except Harry whom she almost never criticizes. She's especially hard on her own children, but the members of the Order of the Phoenix know all about her wrath as well.
- Charity Carpenter from The Dresden Files. Harry claims her tongue is sharper than the Absurdly Sharp Blade Amorrachius. She turns out to be one badass Mama Bear.
- Nita's mom in the Young Wizards series stops her daughter from making a Deal with the Devil, and tells off the Lone Power.
- Discworld's Sybil Vimes comes from a long line of these. Her aunt is mentioned to have given a pair of highwaymen who attacked her coach such a talking to that they ran home to their own mothers to apologize.
- Adah from The Red Tent. Don't underestimate her just because her health is failing in her old age!
Live Action TV
- David's mom on Kings did this a couple of times to different people, including once to the King himself.
- Burn Notice has Madeline Westen.
Michael Westen: Mom, put down the shotgun.
- Lois in Malcolm in the Middle is this to such a degree that she has a minor Heroic BSOD when faced with a problem that she can't fix by telling people off (a highway accident blocking traffic) or proof that she's in the wrong.
Video Games
- The Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is an epic example of this trope. She acts as a surrogate mother to Naked Snake, her son is Ocelot, and she is feared and respected and also feared by everyone including Colonel Volgin. At one point, he says he's beginning to question the Boss's loyalty, and her stoic reaction makes him shrink in fear. Later on when Snake is discovered, he and The Boss brawl only to have him lose, and when Volgin is about to shoot Snake in the head, The Boss retorts "You stay out of this!", grabs the gun from Volgin's hand, and beats the crap out of him. For those of you who don't know, Volgin is over six feet tall, heavily muscled, batshit insane and has lightning powers and The Boss slaps him down. She also has a habit of ripping up people's guns while they are still in their hands.
- Macha from Chrono Cross is this for the few moments that she has time to actually display a personality.
- In Suikoden V there's one person Logg and Lun wouldn't cross, it's Kisara.
Webcomics
- Miranda Deegan, mother of Dominic Deegan, is the most feared woman on the face of the planet. Defy her at your own risk, for her Death Glare will find you.
Western Animation
- On The Fairly OddParents, Timmy's Mom attempts to do this to the mean Dr. Wendell after he steals Timmy's ball. Eventually she, without losing her motherly tone, decides to slam Dr. Wendell in the face with the ball and steal his perfect dentures instead.
- In an episode of Rocko's Modern Life, Heffer has sold his soul for a chance to be on a game show, and has to spend eternity in Heck. His grandmother (who he had been told was in Heaven) is down there, and she doesn't want to spend eternity with her grandson, because she doesn't like him. She tells off Peaches, and Heffer is allowed to go home scot-free. Peaches gets in big trouble with his beanie-wearing boss for listening to her, though
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