Happy Mother's Day!

Hi everybody! There was a very entertaining episode of Modern Family that aired last night.  The episode, entitled “Mother’s Day”, focused on the importance of the holiday within the three family structures of the show.  “Mother’s Day” ties in three different storylines to show the role of the mother considering sexual orientation, age, and the stereotypical family structure.  The episode highlights similarities and difference between the three storylines and how the role of the mother is similar amidst many differences.

The first storyline tells how the homosexual couple, Cam and Mitchell, interprets the holiday.  Mitchell starts off by bringing Cam breakfast in bed the morning of Mother’s Day commenting that this is a very special day for him and that he will be celebrated.  Although Mitchell did not mean to intentionally call Cam the “mother” in the relationship, Cam is hurt by this gesture.  Throughout the episode many comments are made to show that Cam is perceived as the woman in the relationship.  Some of the comments made towards Cam include a friend calling Mitchell “one of the husbands” and having Cam included in the Mother/Child photo.  Cam tries to assert is manliness in the episode by telling Mitchell, “I could snap you like a twig”, and proving he can throw a football because he is a man.  The writers utilize a lot of comedic humor surrounding Cam’s comparison as a mother and showing how he is very upset at the comparison.  Cam’s anger is later subdued when Mitchell reveals how important Cam’s nurturing and caring attributes and that they just happen to fall under what society believes to be the attributes of the mother figure.  The storyline exemplifies how homosexual couples can still provide a “mother figure” for a child even though there is no woman in the family.

The next storyline shows the Modern Family patriarch, Jay, and how he deals with the remembering of his mother.  While cooking the family meal with son-in-law, Phil, a note from Jay to his mother is found.  Jay, a character with a usually hard exterior, begins to tear up at the sight of the note.  At first Jay feels upset at this reaction, but accepts the tearful emotion later in the episode.  Although he is grown up and part of a new family structure that already has a mother, he has not lost his feelings towards his own Mother and how important she was to his life.  This storyline helps show that time and change does not affect the role that a mother in one’s life and that people will always remember their mother’s love, no matter how they interact with others later in life.  I think this is a very nice storyline that shows the softer side of Jay while pushing the episode’s point.

Lastly, there is the stereotypical Dunphy family.  Claire is trying to celebrate her Mother’s Day while an argument arises between her and her children.  The children stay strong in their arguments in order to try and prove their points to Claire.  This seems to symbolize the stereotypical family and what struggles occur between the family members on a daily basis.  The children may feel cheated or treated unfairly and not understand that their mother is only trying to look out for them and do what is best.  The argument is not resolved until Jay reveals to the family the importance of his mother on his life.  Claire and her kids make up realizing how important and precious their moments are together.

“Mother’s Day” comments on how the role of the mother may be very different depending on the current structure of a family.  The mother provides nurturing guidance, support, and a caring touch to their child.  Although the “mother” might be different in each storyline, “Mother’s Day” shows that the role is very important and special for both “mother” and “child”.