Hi Deanna,
I have a 1st house Sagittarian Saturn opposite a 7th house Gemini Moon. Before I give my observations I'd like to point out that I have my Jupiter in the 4th house in Pisces and it is trine alot of my Personal planets in Scorpio on my Asc. I think this has modified alot of the aspect in a positive way.
So I think highlighting and emphasising the strengths of Jupiter in your son's chart, whilst being philosophical and teaching him to control the excesses of it will greaty moderate and help any negative influence. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer and so has a great natural relationship with the Moon. It is also the opposite of Saturn in many respects so can counter it. This is why I think Jupiter is the best solution to the typical Saturn- Moon opposition.
Here is how the Saturn- Moon works in my life so far:
Yoi said that she felt that love was not conditional. I too felt this but quickly learnt that it was not the love that was unconditional but the respect and friendship. My mother loved me so much she had very high standards for how she wanted me to behave- we have many alcoholics in the family and so her response was to expect me not to drink. She also wanted me to perform well at school. Her insistence did make me think that if I ever breached these expectations she would stop loving me. But I learnt quite quickly that she would never stop loving me but she would be disappointed and she would be angry. My mother is very intrusive in my relationships and my choice of partner is of particular concern. I know that if I picked someone she didn't like, (and she has very high standards) she would stop speaking to me until I dropped them. This is restricting, but I never doubt her love and so it is no longer a confidence issue. I think the Jupiter also added a philosophical dimension in that my mother explained all her fears to me so I could understand her and realise that her love was full of fear. It is the fear that is mistaken for coldness. I think this has helped and I too have grown up with the same values as her, so there is now little disharmony.
With respect to showing emotion, I was the youngest of 5 and so my mother wasn't always available. She did show me some love, there were hugs and kisses, but I was not expected to cry or show my emotion. Yoi's experiences seem to have hurt her in this respect but I think that once again Jupiter saved me. If I did ever cry I did feel bad as I knew I wasn't supposed to. My mother was neither cold but nor did she hug me and give me unconditional love. She would smile and sometimes hug me and would try to get me to realise why there was no reason in crying, or why the situation wasn't that bad, or if it was bad what we would do about it, or why it ended up being this way, or what we could learn from it. Either way she was so flippant about the things I cared about in childhood that I think it made me learn not to take myself so seriously and I learnt to consider another's viewpoint. My mom was very explicit that from her viewpoint some of the things I was crying about were not worth crying about.
With regard to finance, I too was brought up in a relatively poor background, my parents went bankrupt when I was 4. This meant that they were frequently not there for me as they were working. On one hand this left me isolated but I had 4 older siblings to look after me. I knew I could not ask for gifts and I felt the responsibility of the entire family having to watch what we spent money on. My parents tried to hide our poverty from me but I picked up on it, although it never really left me that troubled. While I felt that I had to live up to my parent's educational and moral expectations, given that they were flippant on everything else I had alot of creative freedom- astrology is probably one example of something I got into at a very young age (15.) It is still something my parents don't even know/ care about even though I've told them. My parents don't really visit me at university, nor do I ever really tell them anything about my hobbies and interests here, but my mom will always make me phone her once a week to tell her I'm ok and she tells me she loves me.
In terms of mothering my own mother, another theme brought up in other posts, I did not really have to do this, but there definitely days when it was best not to approach my her if I knew something at work or one of my aunts had annoyed her. When I was in my late teens however I think my mother did go through a midlife crisis of feeling useless and unloved and not needed, as me or my siblings were so used to not spending time with her that once she finally started working less hours she was all alone. She tried to spend 'quality time' with us but it was awkward for us and for her. In the end we laughed it off and learnt that we didn't have much in common and weren't really the typical family, but it was ok. I began being very fussy about the condition of the food she cooked, more as a way to revive her interest in cooking and so she could feel needed, so in a way I took the initiative and food is one thing me and my mother have in common. When I phone her I still sometimes ask for cooking tips.
While my parents worked, they were never really a source of fun for me between the ages of 6 to 16. But in a way this was not necessarily bad. I think the Jupiter imparted my parent's principles into my life early on and as a result I enjoyed independance and freedom at a young age. In some ways I did not enjoy the typical childhood as I was far more mature than my friends, but I don't think this had a negative impact at all. It helped me to study, it helped me to put things into perspective, it helped me to understand my parents and why they did what they did. And more importantly it meant I didn't mind any of the limitations my childhood had. I was genuinely happy.
Maybe as I've gotten older I'll have more problems with relationships (mainly not finding anyone I really like) but my relationship with my parents now that I've reached adulthood has certainly improved. I view duty philosophically, and do not really rebel against it.
All in all I think the Saturn Moon opposition does not have to be negative. A healthy dose of Jupiter and honesty between mother and son should help. A little bit of cynicism and realism I think gives a child a better sense of humour as well as ambition, and hopefully, if they can put things into perspective, compassion.
Oh one more thing I would add, seeing as I had many siblings but I don't think that is the case here. Don't be so worried, as then Saturn- Moon becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. And have some fun! Having genuine fun is the best way for a child to realise his mother loves him.
One further thing I remember about your sons configuration was the 2nd house. My 1st house Saturn gave me confidence issues, the 2nd house could make the son feel worthless or unable to value things. I think it would be good to make your son appreciate things more, for without appreciation life seems grey and it leads to escapism and maybe that is where the alcohol association with this aspect is.
I hope that helps, and sorry this post is so long, and sorry if it makes my mother or my family sound odd, I hope it all works out well!