Banished Character Looking For Screentime?

Conflict Kevin it is all about conflict. Does mother reentering the scene/story cause conflict? Is it interesting-does it help to get the WIP where you want it to be? Then the resolving of said conflict, or should the problem not be resolved-Hmmmm! Questions such as this and probably more such questions should be asked by yourself to yourself then listen and that should be the answer you are looking for I should think-if I think-when I occasionally think-some modest help I hope-Dave

perhaps she has a curveball to throw to you and Sebastien you didn't realize was there. Let her come in, see where she takes your characters, what she reveals. If she doesn't work take her out. If she does work and she shows you something you hadn't thought of, then she belongs.
Trust yourself and trust her, let her in, see what happens.

Trish has a very good point Kevin-just throw her in and see where it or she takes you-you got nothing to lose and possibly a great deal to gain. It may well lessen him as a character-then again-maybe not. The fun is seeing where it leads you and your WIP. You conquer conflict by jumping into the maelstrom and seeing where the current leads you-go for it and sharpen your plough-make sure your Drey Pferd is muscled up and ready to pull-Dave

I tend to let my characters tell me what they're going to do. If it gives a new dimension to your MC, then by all means, let the woman have her say. The worst that can happen is you decide to delete her again.

Question is this: why does she want to come back?

Yes, she abandoned the kid. But time has passed. Is she feeling regret over the decision? Does she want money? Does she have a hereditary adult-onset disease that she needs to tell him about? There's a million reasons to come back, if you need her to.

More importantly--do you need her to? What does her presence do to the story? Does it make it impossible to explore the ideas you want to explore in the story--or is it in fact necessary? If you're writing around a theme that can be served by her coming back into the picture, and your storyline can accomodate her (or you think it should shift to include her) then she may well belong.

On one hand, you're having the instinct to bring her back, and writers' instincts often pick up things that the conscious mind misses. On the other, you could blow the whole thing up by including her. You need to look at what you want the book to be about, and see how she (and her potential return) fits into it.

This happened to me once. I had this bad guy well and killed but he did not like that. Not only did he rise, slay his leader and the good guys, he then went on to become this nearly all powerful being. Oh I love and despise the git.

If the character wants to show up and do something, it may be a good idea to let her and see what happens. You -- GOD -- can always take her out in the future. I'd say go with it and see where it leads.

You mentioned that your MC yearns for her and that his yearning is part of what defines him. Would having her appear briefly and then disappear again weaken that yearning, or strengthen it? I can see it working either way, depending on the direction you take it.

Bearing in mind, of course, that mine is the opinion of a rank amateur.