Mrs. Swift raised Jackson Swift as a single parent when her husband abandoned them. She knows that television is no replacement for a parent and feels guilt that Jackson was left alone a great deal as a child. Jackson Swift does not resent his mother and feels she did the best job she could under the circumstances.
When Jackson, as Video Jack, travels through various realities, he encounters different versions of Mrs. Swift that differ widely in personality. They do all share the same trait of keeping a somewhat untidy home.