My Favorite Television Moms

 

#10 - Samantha Stephens - "Bewitched"

 

She had a firm hand and a soft heart.  Her interactions with Tabitha and Adam were always fun to watch as she seemed to have that fine line of discipline and nurture balanced.  Where her husband Darren might be overanxious at times or lackadaisical at others, she seemed to always be in complete control of the situation.   

#9 - Marge Simpson

She was always the voice of reason, that often went unheard and underappreciated at first, but in the end would prevail.   Whether it was her husbands foolish antics, her son Bart's daredevil schemes or her daughter's well intentioned but often not thought out very well plans to save the world,  Marge was often the hero that came through for her family.   She would go above and beyond for her kids and often did.  Many episodes of her nurturing Lisa as she grew into a woman and helping Bart to find himself as well.   She was a good mom to Maggie too.

 



#8 - Lily Munster - "The Munsters"

 

 

 

She encompassed the word "mother" in about everyway that the word can be encompassed.   She was more than just a mom to her son Eddie.  She was a mother figure to Marilyn, her husband and even her own father.   I don't have a whole heck of a lot more to say about her than that.  She was fun.  



#7 - Claire Huxtable - "The Cosby Show"

What I appreciated most about Claire Huxtable is that she taught her son to be respectful of women and to look at them equals, while at the same time teaching her daughters  to be respectful ladies themselves.  She was the force behind the Huxtable's strong family structure and in making parenting a balanced activity between husband and wife.  She set a very strong example for her children in showing how a woman could have a very successful career and be a mother at the same time.    I feel that the show was unrealistic in its depiction of such a scenario, as I feel that it would have been much more difficult for her to have spent the type of time she did with her family, seeing the type of career she had.  Nevertheless she put to rest  the idea that moms can't have successful careers.

 

#6 - Harriett Winslow - "Family Matters"  

And just to set the record straight before we get started I'm referring to Jo Marie Payton, not the other woman that filled in for her after she left the show.   Harriett Winslow is one of my favorite mothers because she always filled in for Carl when he wasn't sure what to do, and she would always allow Carl to fill in for her when she wasn't sure what to do.   She knew how to be tough on Laura, when Carl would go too easy on her and she knew how to be easier on Eddie when Carl was being too rough on him.  She was the solution, often when there didn't seem like there would be one and I think that's a role mom's often take in their children's lives.  

#5 - Jill Taylor - "Home Improvement"

Jill was madly in love with her husband and with her three boys.   She was similar to Claire Huxtable in many ways, but I think she had more of a challenge as her kids were more diverse, where as Claire's were more similar.   Brad, Randy and Mark, as well as Tim, all presented challenges to Jill as a mother, and she usually  came through in helping each one through their problems.  

#4 - Edith Bunker - "All in the Family"

 

I always felt bad for Edith Bunker.  All she wanted was to make everyone around her happy and her acts of decency and kindness often seemed to go unrewarded.  It was rewarding as well as refreshing anytime she'd stick up for herself.   Archie loved her, that I have no doubt of.  He appreciated her too, that I have no doubt of.  Yet it was her unconditional love that kept the two of them together. Sometimes when I watch "All in the Family" I want to throw a shoe at the screen, hoping to knock some sense into Edith.  She shouldn't have to put up with some of the crap that she does.  Yet other times, a part of me admires her because her undying devotion always shines through.

 

#3 - Sophia Petrillo - "The Golden Girls"

 

She was sarcastic, fun and didn't take any shit from anybody.  She took life's hardships head on with a smart-aleck attitude and a kiss my ass mentality.   I loved that about her.  Makes me wish I was more like that myself.  She never allowed Dorothy to feel sorry for herself, never allowed Blanch to think too much of herself and she wasn't afraid of hurting Rose's feelings.  It's not that she was malicious or insensitive, she just didn't sugarcoat anything.   She told it like it was.   I admired that.

 

 

 

 

 

#2 - Marie Barone - "Everybody Loves Raymond"

If there has ever been a television mother that reflected my mother, it is Marie Barone.   Always has the best intentions, would do anything for you, but can't always see her own faults.   It's hard to ever be all that mad at her, because even when she did hurt Ray or Robert, it was never her intention to.  She was very naïve to how some of the things she said and did could be hurtful to others, because her motivation was always to help and never to hinder.   She often felt underappreciated by others, as she expected more of an enthusiastic gratitude than what they gave.  No one ever left her house with an empty stomach.  In so many ways, more than the ones I've listed,  she reminds me of my own mother.

#1 - Roseanne Connor - "Roseanne"

As I said when I evaluated Dan from "Roseanne" minus the last two seasons of the series, there will never be a more realistic representation of a real life mother than Roseanne.  She was a mother that loved her family very much, but she didn't always do the right thing.  She didn't always have the right answers and she didn't always know what to do.   Real life isn't solved in a three act structure and for the television show to have the courage to depict that on screen was extremely courageous.  Roseanne was and in my opinion always will be the greatest television Mom of all time.  While other television mom's were often presented in a rather patronizing manner saying, "this is who you ought to be", Roseanne instead said, "This is who you are and you know what, that's ok.  You're doing your best"