Basic Trope: A character's mother is missing or absent.
- Straight: Bob's mother died when he was a toddler.
- Exaggerated:
- Every character has no mom.
- Several characters were raised by single fathers.
- Bob's father won't tell anyone who Bob's mother was, and then dies, taking the secret with him.
- Bob's mother seems to have never existed in the first place, and Bob still seems like a completely normal guy, father and all.
- Downplayed: Bob's mother is around but emotionally distant, and/or always too busy to be a part of his life.
- Justified:
- Mommy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You
- Death by Childbirth
- Bob's parents are divorced and his mother lives far away.
- She is a wanted criminal.
- Bob is actually a clone of his father. The cloning chamber is technically Bob's mother, and it has been carted off to be used by other mad scientists.
- Inverted: The story is about Bob's mother, whose husband and son are both missing.
- Gender Inverted: Disappeared Dad
- Subverted: It initially seems like Bob's mom is never about, but then we see her and Bob having good time together, and showing that they are quite close. She just works a lot.
- Double Subverted: Until the villains kill her.
- Parodied:
- All the family photos have Bob's mother cut out from them.
- Bob's mother literally vanishes into thin air.
- Zig Zagged: The actress who plays Bob's mother has a lot of other projects, and so her appearances are very erratic, and she sometimes vanishes for seasons at a time.
- Averted: Bob's mom is always there for him, regardless of what happens.
- Enforced: "We've got a few single moms. What if we had a single dad too?"
- Lampshaded: "I Miss Mom."
- Invoked: Bob's mom leaves.
- Exploited: The villain tries to use Bob's mother's absence to induce a breakdown in Bob.
- Defied: Bob's mom goes to great lengths to be a part of her son's life, regardless of what the world throws at her.
- Discussed: "Why doesn't that kid have a mom? Is he adopted or what?"
- Conversed: "How come main characters generally don't have moms in these shows?"
- Implied: We only see Bob's father, but we never get confirmation that his mother is absent.
- Deconstructed: The effects of losing a parent take center-stage.
- Played For Laughs: Bob's mom is around, but she goes to great lengths to avoid her ex-husband and son.
- Played For Drama: In a Mother's Day episode, most characters are shown bonding with their mothers, and everyone sympathizes with Bob, who feels left out.
Mom, if you get this, come find me at Missing Mom. I miss you.
