Mom Character Analysis

Ally's mom works at a restaurant called A. C. Petersen's as a waitress, which means that Ally often either does homework at the restaurant or is home unsupervised, given that Mom works late. Though Mom is supportive of her children and loves them unconditionally, having two children with unidentified dyslexia is difficult for her. She forces Travis to stay in high school and is clearly tired of receiving phone calls from Ally's school. Because Ally's dyslexia is unidentified, Mom agrees with Ally's teachers and believes that Ally simply isn't trying hard enough and is making trouble on purpose. At the same time, Mom knows that Ally is smart and tells her so often. She also praises Ally for her drawings, her thoughtfulness, and her kindness. Ally desperately wants Mom to be happy, so she does what she can to let Mom think she has friends and tries not to get Mom's hopes up when she runs for class president. Mom is thrilled when Ally makes friends and begins doing better in school, and she fully supports Ally's tutoring sessions with Mr. Daniels.