Playing With / Momma's Boy

Positive portrayal

Basic Trope: A man who dearly loves his mother.

• Straight: Bob is very attached to his mother, Alice, checking on her well-being constantly and doting on her quite a bit. He probably also still lives with her.
• Exaggerated: Bob cannot imagine a second of his life without his mother, Alice, and stays around her at all times, and if he can't, he's constantly calling her on the phone, and despairs whenever he can't join her or see her.
• Downplayed: Bob has left the family's household to live his new life a while ago, but still frequently visits his mom Alice, making sure to remind her that she's loved every single moment of her life and that she is not alone.
• Justified:
  • Alice was an excellent mother with Bob during all this time, and Bob wants to return the favor.
  • Alice was involved in a grave accident which has permanently affected her physically - or mentally - and Bob is here to help her for her daily tasks.
• Inverted:
  • My Beloved Smother
  • Antagonistic Offspring
  • Bob is very attached to his father, Daniel, still reminiscing about his childhood with his dad and checking on his dad's well-being constantly.
• Gender Inverted: Daddy's Girl
• Subverted: Bob pretends to be nice to his loving mother, but in reality he just Wants a Prize for Basic Decency.
• Double Subverted: This is the image of himself he gives to his friends to build a Tough Guy portrayal. He really is attached to his mother, but doesn't want his friends to know in fear of being laughed at by them.
• Parodied: Bob has a shrine dedicated to his mom in his room.
• Zig Zagged: Bob's relationship with his mother is strained. While he loves her, she doesn't return the favor quite as much anymore, making Bob confused about what she's become. This causes him to frequently lash out at her and say that he doesn't love her anymore and that she'll never see him again, only for him to come back a few days later and break down in apologies, saying that he didn't mean any of these words.
• Averted:
  • Missing Mom
  • Bob cut most contacts with his mother Alice after leaving home. He occasionally comes back to take some news, but he isn't that attached to her anymore.
• Enforced: ??
• Lampshaded: "Aww, my little cinnamon bun, all these years and you're still so sweet to me!"
• Invoked: After being away from his mother for so long, Bob decides to reunite with her again.
• Exploited: Alice takes advantage of Bob's kindness and generosity to ask him a lot of things.
• Defied: Bob categorically refuses to show his mother any signs of kindness.
• Discussed: "You really love your mother, don't you?" "Of course! Who doesn't?"
• Conversed: "Wow, Bob really loves his mother." "That just makes him more endearing, don't you think?"
• Implied: There are tons of pictures of Bob with his mother in his bedroom.
• Deconstructed: Bob loves his mother, but his mother definitely doesn't love him back. She plays with his feelings and completely controls him in the end, leading to the negative portrayal of this trope.
• Reconstructed: ...This is because she thinks Bob is trying to take advantage of her back. This eventually results in a My God, What Have I Done? moment after the two break into a violent argument, and they eventually reconcile.
• Played For Drama: Bob's mother is attacked and killed or severely injured. Bob goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against her assailants.

Negative portrayal

Basic Trope: A man that lets his mother control his life.

• Straight: Bob lives with his mother, Alice, and lets her take control of many of his daily activities, including paying taxes, filling in job applications, or buying new clothes.
• Exaggerated: Bob is still being fed, changed and washed by his mother when he's in the prime of his life.
• Downplayed: Bob frequently asks his mother for advice on many topics of daily life, but doesn't let her control him. He needs her, but is not dependent.
• Justified:
  • Bob has a disorder which impairs his ability to do this kind of tasks, so his mother helps him.
  • Guys are Slobs: Bob's too lazy to take care of himself, so his mother Alice has to do the work for him.
  • It's not like he wants to: Alice is an overprotective mom who wants to control Bob's life.
• Inverted: Bob controls his mother's life.
• Gender Inverted: Alice lets her father, Bob, control her life.
• Subverted: "No, mom, I'm fine doing that on my own, that's enough! Leave me be, I'm not a child anymore!"
• Double Subverted: "...Actually I take that back - Please help me with that, momma."
• Parodied: Bob is carried around by his mother in a baby carriage while wearing a onesie and a pacifier.
• Zig Zagged: "...W-Wait, no, I figured it out, you don't need to... No I didn't, I can't get to understa-aaah I got it! It's okay, it's okay, I can do it by myself-...No. Help. Please."
• Averted:
  • Missing Mom
  • Bob does not let his mother control his life.
• Enforced: ??
• Lampshaded:
  Alice: "Sweetie pie, what do you think of this lovely dress shirt? Goes well with your hair, doesn't it?"
  Bob: (With a strained smile): "...Yes mom."
• Invoked: Alice pampers Bob during all his childhood and teenagehood so he doesn't have the idea of leaving her later on.
• Exploited: Bob takes advantage of the situation to not do anything, knowing his mom is going to do it anyways.
• Defied: Bob refuses to let his mom take control of his life, no matter how much she insists or how much he needs it.
• Discussed: "Bob, you're thirty. Get a grip, you can't always live with your mom like that!"
• Conversed: "Do you think Bob is ever going to become independent?" "Doubtful."
• Implied: Bob mentions to his workmates that he still lives with his mother.
• Deconstructed:
  • Because Alice does the work for two, she quickly ends up tiring herself out and breaking down.
  • Alternately, Bob can never reach independence because his mother will not let him, which ends up severely damaging his self-esteem.
  • A closer inspection to Bob's character reveal that Bob letting his mother push him around is in fact a Batman Gambit. He exploits his mother's tendency to make all the decisions for him so he can slack off. Furthermore, Bob doesn't have any preference for his daily activities.
• Reconstructed:
  • Bob realizes in what state his mother was brought to due to his incompetence, and proceeds to work hard to reverse this phenomenon, forcing himself to do more things around the house to help her.
  • Bob eventually takes action and begins standing up to his mother's controlling behavior. Character Development ensues.

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