Mums The Word - Mother's Day in Shieldinch

Eileen’s eldest children, Kirsty and Brian, from her first marriage met sad fates. Kirsty died in a car crash while Brian ended up in a mental institution after killing his granny.

Luckily Eileen got a second chance at motherhood with Stuart – the product of a one-night stand with old flame, Raymond.

Having a fling with the local gangster’s son is never a good idea but every cloud has a silver lining and the product of that dalliance, Callum, is the apple of Kelly-Marie’s eye.

Little Callum is adored by his family but while the Mullens and O’Haras bring stability, his Murdoch connections saw Kelly-Marie’s son kidnapped by his grandad’s dodgy business acquaintances. Which means Kelly-Marie’s even more protective of Callum than ever.

Mum to Adeeb and step-mum to Conor and Nicole, Leyla has had more than her fair share of stroppy teenagers. Family disharmony has never been far away from poor Leyla.

Her son Adeeb left to live in Cambridge while stepson Conor went to Canada to live with his mother. Thankfully what started off as the mother of all frosty relationships with step-daughter Nicole has thawed recently and the pair are closer than ever.

Prim and proper, Liz had high hopes for her only son Archie. Pity he turned out to be a nasty piece of work. Archie met is match against Lenny Murdoch and came a cropper to the local gangster.

Finding love with Malcolm Hamilton brought new family into Liz’s life and, these days, she’s got a close bond with her step-daughters Gina and Eileen. And as much as Liz irks them from time to time, they love her dearly.

Maternal instincts were in short supply when Molly became mum to Scarlett, Big Bob, Theresa and their four other siblings.

Scarlett and Big Bob had a particularly prickly relationship with their mother in the past but these days their relationship has greatly improved. Now, Molly is ferociously protective of her children – like a tiger!

Motherhood came as quite a shock to Shieldinch’s resident wild child, Nicole Brodie. A brief fling with a DJ resulted in teenage pregnancy and an uncertain future.

Being a single mum overwhelmed Nicole and she decided to give up baby Grace for adoption. It was only when a health scare loomed large for Grace that Nicole stepped up to the mark and became the mother Leyla always knew she could be. A new life beckoned for Nicole and Grace as they said goodbye to Shieldinch for Aberdeen.

Mum to Stevie, Kelly-Marie, Bob and little Madonna, it’s all about family for Scarlett Mullen. And the little fact that her “bubba” wee Bob isn’t (biologically speaking) her son - he’s her nephew - doesn’t matter to this Montego Street mother.

Nurture not nature all the way for Scarlett.

For a long time, Tatiana and her daughter, Christina, were the perfect pairing. They have an enviable bond but as Christina grew up, distance grew between them, especially when Christina decided to come out.

While Tattie is immensely proud of Christina going to university and making a life for herself, her daughter’s departure highlighted the cracks in Tattie’s marriage to Big Bob.