Calvin’s mom doesn't get enough credit. Within Bill Watterson’s classic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin’s mom, who is a homemaker, is Calvin’s number one nurturer and the person preparing nearly all of his meals (which Calvin definitely doesn’t appreciate). She’s also his number one disciplinarian. She’s often depicted trying to get him to go to school or losing her patience with his childish antics, which often puts her at odds with both the rambunctious young boy and the Calvin and Hobbes fans who mostly empathize with him.

There’s a ton of love for Calvin’s dad. People love that, just for his own amusement, Calvin's dad will make up absurd lies, like when Calvin asks his dad where babies come from, only for his dad to say “Most people just go to Sears, buy the kit, and follow the assembly instructions.” But Calvin’s mom — who, like Calvin’s dad, has no name — doesn’t get nearly as much love. Even Watterson himself has admitted that he underserved the character.

“Calvin's mom is the daily disciplinarian, a job that taxes her sanity, so I don't think we get to see her at her best,” Watterson once explained. “I regret that the strip mostly shows her impatient side, but I try to hint at other aspects of her personality and her interests by what she's doing when Calvin barges in.”

Calvin’s mom can be........

© Polygon