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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Sheriff:''' All right now, boys, that's enough. Kid Rock, that's not like you. And Joe C., would your mama want you stretching out that sweatshirt like that?<br />
'''Joe C.:''' No, sir. Please don't tell Mama.|''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]''}}
 
{{quote|'''Jade:''' Doesn't she know Valmont is a thief?<br />
'''Tohru:''' No, and please don't tell her.|''[[Jackie Chan Adventures (Animation)|Jackie Chan Adventures]]''}}
 
Everyone knows that [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]. And since that's the case, a lot of bad men, whether they might be gangsters, [[Career Killers]], [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Corrupt Corporate Executives]], [[Hitman Withwith a Heart|Hitmen With A Heart]], [[Gentleman Thief|Gentleman Thieves]] or [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]] in a morally questionable job will try to do their utmost to keep their mothers from knowing what it is they ''really'' do. This can even extend to getting enemies to join in on [[The Masquerade]] in order to keep her blissfully unaware.
 
Naturally there are many variations on this, as the character in question may be trying to keep the truth from a father, sibling, [[True Companions]], etc.
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== Anime and Manga ==
* There's a variation in ''[[Code Geass (Anime)|Code Geass]]'', where Lelouch tries to keep his alter ego secret from his sister.
* [[Anti-Villain]] variation in [[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]], where the Wolkenritter keep their gathering Linker Cores to complete the Book of Darkness and save Hayate's life a secret from Hayate, knowing that she would not approve. She eventually finds out about what they were doing during the final battle; the Wolkenritter apologize, and Hayate forgives them.
* ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' has Light Yagami, the protagonist of the series, who tries not to let his parents and sister know that he is Kira.
** Though that's probably more for practical reasons than emotional ones. His father ''is'' the chief of police, after all.
 
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{{quote| '''Becky:''' Sure, you could have protected my mom! Sure! You could have moved her into Old Town and let her know her daughter's a god damn whore!}}
* In the original ''The Hood'' mini Parker Robbins keeps lying to his mother about him being a [[Super Villain]]. Helps that she has Alzheimer's and doesn't remember when he changes his story.
* Sandman, a ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' and ''[[Spider -Man]]'' villain, ''completely'' kept his mother in the dark about being a villain. He even explained that he changed his name when he became a criminal so she wouldn't find out.
* During Norman Osbourne/The Green Goblin's original death in ''[[Spider -Man]]'' his last words were a plea to Spiderman not to tell his son Harry Osbourne that he'd been the goblin. This carried over to the first Spiderman film.
** For that matter, Peter Parker has gone to great lengths to hide his [[Superhero]] identity from his Aunt May, who is as good as his mother. In at least one version May has arachnophobia and is thus not overly fond of Spiderman, hence Peter's actions.
** And [[Retcon|when she died the first time]] she revealed that she'd known for quite some time, and was very proud of him.
 
== Fanworks ==
* In ''[[Constant Temptation (Fanfic)|Constant Temptation]]'' Mello, Matt, and Near find themselves in a position where [[Accidental Pervert|they have to confess to spying]] on [[Parental Substitute|L and Light]]. They don't want L to know about it, even if it means facing Kira's wrath:
{{quote| '''Near:''' Are we sure we want to do this?<br />
'''Mello:''' It's not like you to have doubts.<br />
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* There was one part in the movie ''[[Bulletproof]]'' where Damon Wayans' character goes along in lying to the mother of Adam Sandler's character in order to reassure her. Note that he blames Sandler's character for ''shooting him in the head'', which shows both how far this trope and [[Rule of Funny]] can stretch.
* This is parodied in ''[[Johnny Dangerously]]''. It's painfully obvious to ''everybody'' (including the pope) except for Johnny's mother and his brother that he's a mob boss.
* In ''[[Scream (Filmfilm)|Scream]]'' when Sidney informs {{spoiler|Stu (one of the killers, who is already bleeding to death)}} that she's called the police about the murders, he pathetically breaks down and cries "My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!"
* IIRC, Joe Pesci's character from ''[[Goodfellas]]'' lied to his mother about why he and the guys were there that night to keep her from finding out that [[Hair-Trigger Temper|he'd just killed someone for no real reason]].
* Inverted at the end of the first [[Spider -Man]] film. "Peter... don't tell Harry." It takes an actor of Willem Defoe's caliber to do all the things the Green Goblin did in that film and still make that last request a [[Tear Jerker]] - and it's doubly poignant when you realize that Peter honored that request. Led to [[Poor Communication Kills]] in the following two movies.
 
 
== Literature ==
* In ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'', when Hermione finds the Weasley Twins testing out their home-made joke candies on younger students, Hermione demands that they stop. They taunt her by saying "Or what? You'll put us in detention?" Hermione coldly responds with "No. I'll write your mother." This scares the Twins so badly that they immediately comply, an action that has never been seen before or since.
** [[Mama Bear|And for very good reasons.]]
* Odd inversion: Peter Wiggin of [[Ender's Game]] and the '' Ender's Shadow'' sequels, rather than having to hide an evil secret, is reluctant to let his parents find out that he has a secret identity as the great [[The Chessmaster|Chess]][[Big Good|master]] named Locke. When he tells his parents, it turns out that they already knew; and as it happens, Bean and Sister Carlotta [[I Know You Know I Know|knew that Peter's parents knew before Peter knew it.]]
* In ''[[The Thorn Birds]]'' (though not the better-known film adaptation), protagonist Meggie's oldest brother Frank runs away from home when she's a girl, after having a fight with their father. {{spoiler|Said fight revealed that Frank was actually the son of a different man.}} Years later, their mother, who doted on Frank, happens to find a newspaper in which an article announces his conviction for a terrible crime. Frank's only comment to the press was "Don't tell my mother."
* [[Artemis Fowl (Literature)|Artemis Fowl]] really doesn't want his mother to know he's turned to a life of crime in order to sustain his family and continue the search for his [[Disappeared Dad]], even if she does suspect he takes after his father in this aspect.
* In ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Guards Guards|Guards Guards]]'', one of the things Constable Carrot does on his first night on patrol is shame a bunch of bar-brawling dwarfs into behaving themselves by asking what their mothers would say if they found out.
 
 
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'''Kimmy''': The airport? Why the airport?<br />
'''Omar Little''': 'Cause I know she ain't gonna never go down there to go dining, that's why! Hey, yo, Kimmy, this ain't funny, yo! That woman raised me! }}
* Spy turned ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]'' style gun for hire Michael Westen from ''[[Burn Notice]]'' spent a long time trying to keep his mother in the dark about things, but ultimately had to break the news to her. Since then, she has played small roles in his operations, even once getting information out of a captive after Michael's interrogation techniques didn't work. Despite this, she wishes he would settle down, and the things she is asked to do sometimes unsettle her.
* A running gag on ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' was Belker constantly booking the same criminal for various minor offenses and the criminal always giving him a fake name. This went on for years, until the criminal was accidentally caught in the crossfire of a gunfight he had nothing to do with. He was mortally wounded and asked Belker to call his mother, finally giving Belker his real name. Belker did so, telling the criminal's mother that her son had been a fine, upstanding citizen.
* In one episode of ''[[Brimstone (TV series)|Brimstone]]'', Zeke finds out that Gilbert Jax, the guy who raped his wife, is one of the [[Complete Monster|113 souls that escaped from Hell]] and that he has to find and send back. He also finds out that Jax has started with his old pattern again. He finds out that Jax is living with mother again, and tracks him to the mother's house. There he encounters the mother and talks to her, although he doesn't have the heart to tell her the truth about her son. Jax returns home at that point, and screams that "Getting my mother involved in this is low, Stone". Zeke defeats Jax, but afterwards still doesn't have the heart to tell his mother the truth, and lets her believe that he sent her son back to Heaven instead of Hell.
* Inverted on ''Wiseguy'', where federal deep-cover agent Vincent Terranova is forced to mislead his mother into believing he's a criminal. He's deeply troubled by how disappointed she is in her "no-good" son, and immensely relieved when she eventually learns the truth.
* On ''[[Malcolm in Thethe Middle]]'', Hal and Lois leave the boys home alone for the weekend, and a drug gang commandeers the boys' house for their own purposes. The boys try to think of ideas to get the gang to leave, and Dewey (the youngest brother) suggests telling their mothers. This sounds like a childish idea when Reese and Malcolm first hear it, but it turns out to work perfectly: the gang members' mothers show up, and the whole incident induces enough shame in the gang members that they abandon their plans to take over the main characters' house.
* One ''[[The Man Fromfrom UNCLEU.N.C.L.E.]]'' episode had two brothers, feuding THRUSH middle managers, concealing both the feud and the nature of their employment from Mama ... until she turned out to be the THRUSH supervisor who showed up to inspect their operation.
 
 
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== Western Animation ==
* Drakken's mom was probably the single funniest thing in ''[[Kim Possible]]'', one of the reasons for this being that she ''completely believes'' he is a radio talk show host. This despite the fact that he studied robotics, not psychiatry. Then again, anyone ''would'' want to cover up the fact that their world domination schemes were foiled by teenagers.
* Tohru's mom in ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures (Animation)|Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' is unaware that her son is working as a thug for Valmont and not knowing that the latter is a [[Diabolical Mastermind]].
** Well she knew OF Valmont but just thought he was a rich gentleman. It would seem like a HUGE step down to go from bodyguard to a multi-millionare to storekeep.
* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' provides the page quote. When they went to Florida during Spring Break, the local sheriff was disappointed with Joe C. (the foul mouthed little person who toured with Kid Rock). A parody as much as anything, given the utterly inconsequential matter.
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