How I Met Your Mother: 10 People Who Should Have Been The Mother

Throughout all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother, Future Ted recounted the story of how he met the mother of his children, with every new love interest being a potential candidate. For eight years, viewers were on the edge of their seats, longing to learn the true identity of Ted’s wife.

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Fans were finally introduced to Tracy in the eighth season finale. While Tracy is a likable character, many fans weren’t happy with how Ted’s story ended, or that Tracy was quickly killed off, so that future-Ted would be able to start dating Robin again. He dated so many women throughout the years that viewers were certain that one of these characters would be revealed as The Mother – who else would have been a good candidate?

Updated October 8th, 2021, by Rose Graceling-Moore: How I Met Your Mother fans have a new series to look forward to, as the spin-off How I Met Your Father is in the works – and this time, fans can hope that the titular Father isn’t a throwaway character! Within the original series, though, it’s still possible to explore all the options for a ‘Mother’ that would have been so much more satisfying than Tracy’s short-lived appearance. 

10 Robin

It wasn’t likely that Robin was the mother of Ted’s children, as she could not have children, and didn’t want to adopt, either – as shown in her arc with Kevin. When he wanted to marry Robin, she made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in being a mother… which makes her final commitment to Ted somewhat ironic, as she would become a stepmother to Luke and Penny.

So, in some ways, after her divorce, Robin is also ‘the Mother’ – or ‘a Mother’ – by the end of the series. However, it may have been much more satisfying to see their story connect at the end of the main show timeline, rather than waiting for the future timeline to bring them back together. Either that, or have them not connect at all, because fans would have been disappointed had Robin’s feelings about having children changed at the last moment, after so much character development around her decision to be child free.

9 Stella

Stella may have left Ted at the altar, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of their relationship. These two were undeniably good together and had tons of chemistry. There’s no doubt that Ted would have been happy with Stella as his wife.

Stella was everything that Ted was looking for, she even had Lucy, her daughter who Ted adored. It would have been great to learn that Penny and Luke were Lucy’s half-siblings, and to see an older Lucy come into the room and join Penny and Luke on the sofa in the end. While this would have worked, though, it would have also meant the end of the series – as Ted was intended to move to New Jersey in order to be with Stella after they married.

8 Zoey

It’s true that Zoey and Ted clashed in a lot of ways and their constant disagreements were what led them to ultimately break up. Her choice to put her own causes ahead of the relationship, and his similar choice to put his career ahead of the relationship, meant that the two were simply never going to work.

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However, it would have been interesting to see these two actually work it out – and would have been a real opportunity to present character growth for both of them. Exploring how they could prioritize themselves and the relationship, or learn how to communicate better, would have been a fantastic storyline, and of course, Zoey was a perfect fit with the rest of the gang, too.

7 Victoria

There’s no doubt that Ted’s love for Robin is what came between Ted and Victoria. If only Ted had set aside his feelings for Robin, Ted and Victoria may have lived happily ever after and Ted would have saved himself some heartache.

Fans knew how deeply Ted loved Victoria (and how romantic they were) and finding out that she’s the mother of his children would have been a surprising and welcomed reveal. It would also have been a fantastic arc to see Ted finally let go of his hangups on Robin. Even though the two do reunite in the end, fans were upset about this decision, and would have much rather seen Robin stay with Barney – making Victoria a great choice.

6 Lily

This would certainly have been a huge twist ending, but had a lot of potential, too. Lily and Ted were incredibly close, and had been since college – and it would be easy to see the two as a couple, and as parents. It would have also been a better decision to have the Mother included from the start, as it was frustrating to have such an important character appear only for a final few episodes.

Another fantastic twist, and one that could have seen Lily as the mother without her leaving Marshall and breaking up the best couple in the show, would be for Ted to become a part of that relationship as a polyamorous triad. In many ways, these three already feel like a triad, as they lived together for a long time, wore three-part Halloween costumes, and did everything together. It would certainly have worked, and been a great twist, for them to make their connection official in the end.

5 The Coat-Check Girl

The coat-check girl from the episode “Okay Awesome” would have been a flawless choice for The Mother. Not only would this have been unexpected, but it would have made a lot of sense – and she is one of the few great potential partners for Ted who was never really explored in the show.

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Ted had an instant connection with her, and wanted to get her number – but stopped himself because he imagined the possible outcomes, and assumed that the only end would be a bad one. They may have crossed paths more than once, though, and seeing Ted take a chance, and find a relationship that didn’t end badly, would have been a great choice. She also first appeared in season one, so would be another character around from the start.

4 Patrice

It would have been amazing to see a romantic connection between this beloved supporting character and Ted. Fans got to know Patrice a little better in season eight when she and Barney pretended to be a couple.

It’s impossible to not love Patrice, as she is sweet, kind, generous, and always happy to help, and she could have been a perfect match for Ted. Of course, this would have caused some problems when it comes to Robin, because Robin hated Patrice (for no real reason). However, this may have been an interesting storyline to explore too – seeing how Robin learns to get past whatever it is about Patrice that she hates, and seeing her really become part of the gang.

3 Quinn

Ted and Quinn never got together romantically, but they should have. Barney had no problem going after Ted’s girlfriends so why couldn’t Ted date one of Barney’s old flames? Quinn was intelligent, funny, and independent, all things that Ted was looking for in his wife. Yet, he never seemed to consider her for even a moment.

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Of course, Ted might struggle with some of the aspects of Quinn’s personality that Barney loved – and while Ted pretended to want an independent woman like Robin, he showed more often that he wanted to be ‘needed’. And while Barney and Ted did date some of the same women, it caused issues for them on a regular basis, and Ted showed that he struggled to deal with the idea of getting intimate with a woman that Barney had previously been with.

2 Naomi

Ted pined after Naomi (also known as The Slutty Pumpkin) for years. Ted met Naomi in 2001 but unfortunately lost contact with her shortly after. It’s clear that these two had an instant connection as they both remembered each other when they finally crossed paths in season eight – making her a character who has technically been around since HIMYM season one.

While the pair didn’t stay together due to a lack of chemistry, it would have made a lot of sense for Naomi to be The Mother. How I Met Your Mother fans know how much Ted loves to go back to what’s comfortable. Rather than having them break up due to a lack of chemistry, having them connect – or even having them reconnect again years later and find chemistry the next time around – would have been a great twist.

1 Barney

Ted and Barney may never have been a couple, but they did actually suggest having children together, when they were struggling to find the romantic relationships they wanted. While their idea was quickly dismissed by their friends, and they also gave up on it quickly, it could have been a surprisingly good idea. They are incredibly close, they agree on a lot (although Ted, unsurprisingly, is more realistic about what it takes to raise a child), and they had quite a lot of free time and money between them, which would certainly help!

Of course, this would mean that the ‘Mother’ title would be something of a joke – and this could be a great twist, too. The gang loved teasing Barney about being ‘Swarley’, so it would make sense that Ted refers to his co-parent as Mother, despite his gender. The main issue with this, though, is that How I Met Your Mother is intended as a love story, and this wouldn’t be romantic love.

 

 

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