This Mom is a BItch!

She was trying to teach her children what she learned the hard way--which things are important, i.e., having a home, family, learning to make your own way and understanding the reality that life isn't easy and things don't just fall in your lap. She was just caught up in her own harsh reality that she needed to instill it in her children. Not necessarily a bad trait. I can understand being irritated with her. She annoyed me with that "Lacey Tribe" nonesense. But she was a complex character. She loved her children and the thing that mattered most was building a home and being with one another, hence, A Home of Our Own.

She came from the school of hard knocks, I guess you could say, and she was concerned that her eldest was becoming a bit to wayward. It's always said that teaching children that hard work pays off and is rewarding (more parents should do that these days what with how spoiled kids are and having things handed to them), but it is true that having a childhood would have also added to their healthiness and happiness--she just couldn't see it that way. To her what was the use of bein a "child" when you had to learn hard and fast?

That was her character flaw. I mean, you guys are right--that Christmas sucked. I understand her "pride", but pride isn't always necessarily a great things. Sometimes you need to drop it, but as for her character, I commend her for not wanting to have hand-outs, despite the fact that it would have given her children a better holiday. To her credit, she did try and redeem herself, albeit too late. Her intentions came from a very good place, even if they didn't go down so easy.

she sure is and brilliantly played by kathy bates

When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

Yeah she is, BUT....don't forget it's just a movie and not reality, but then again such a scenario is possible in real life too. Sadly!

There are movies I too avoid watching based on their influence on me, and some people think only kids can be influenced? The top of my list, Anger Management and Risky Business. Since Anger Management I have decided to only watch comedy and for me that movie was not a comedy because it didn't make me laugh nor leave me in a good mood.

Yeah, she is. It bothers me that she had to include her children in ALL of her stresses. I think about just the everyday worries I have as an adult that sometimes keep me up at night --those kids probably hadn't had a good night's sleep since their dad's death since they were totally on their own in the world.
However, coming from a family filled with teachers and social workers, I have heard A LOT worse. You do what you have to do to make sure your kids survive. She was a big ol' biotch, sure, but she was able to keep her family together and she certainly taught them that if they want something in life you gotta work for it yourself. Think of how spoiled kids are today where they can pretty much have anything they want in an instant and there is definitely an attitude of entitlement nowadays. Imagine in this day and age having to live without indoor plumbing. That would be unheard of for any American kid.
This mother didn't have the time or the energy to hold every kid's hand through what they were going through, she made the load a little more bearable by teaching them to do for themselves.

There's a difference in being a bitch and being someone who's proud and wants her children to appreciate hard work and doing for themselves. Those of you that comdemn the character Bates portrays probably have a lot to say about the welfare mom who lays on her ass and has kids that she can't support without government assistance! You can't have it both ways. Maybe she is a tad bit harsh and doesn't appreciate that her children are normal kids with wants like every other child. However, when you're poor and trying to keep your head above water, sometimes you don't have the luxery of being soft Today's children don't know how good they have it. TV's and DVD players in everyone's room, playstations, best clothing, cell phones, etc. and absolutely no clue that someone is busting their hump to give them these things. If there were more parents in the world like this, there would be a lot less ungrateful idiotic children in the world.

Oh, I know what you mean. She is horrible and abusive. I remember the first time I rented this, thinking it would be a nice inspirational family story. Boy, did I have it wrong!

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"Why spend your life making someone else's dreams come true?"

-- Ed Wood, the movie

I had'nt seen it in a while,just watched today. I think what offened mrs.lacey was when the priest came to the door he says were giving toys to the "needy". he came off being condecending & talking down to her. usually in that type of situation,they just give the gifts to ppl,or just leave them on the step. I kind if understand where she was coming from watching it again. I really did'nt like his attitude at all,when she came the next morning asking for the gifts he was talking down to her & seemed to enjoy disapointing her.

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popeye has ate his spinach

ok first of all I do agree that she should have accepted the gifts from the church but she is not a bitch

she lost her husband and was drowning with 6 kids

she wanted to teach her kids that life is hard and when your struggling it is important to keep in focus the things you NEED instead of want

she wanted better for her children but when your basically homeless she was doing all she could

she would have LOVED to see her kids open gifts on christmas but she had to think about getting the house done for her children, she was trying to teach her kids life can kick you in the teeth and when it happens you have to stay strong and get yourself back on track even if it means sacrafice

and as far as the whooping Shane got, I love me some Shane but he asked for it
he had no business in his mom's private life and was acting like a jerk and he had no buisness using yelling and smarting off at his brother and mom .

so she was NOT a bitch she was just a mom who lost everything and was the best she could
R.I.P
MJ.. you'll always be the man in my life..