babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
5 TV Moms Who Inspire Me To Be A Better Mother, and 5 Who Do NOT.
Hint: Betty Draper did not make my 5 most-inspiring list.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em: TV moms past and present will either make you want to be a better mom or wonder how in the world they were allowed to procreate, even if it’s only fiction! Here’s 5 TV moms who inspire me to be a better mom and 5 that absolutely do not!
Ok, so I hate football but found myself ADDICTED to Friday Night Lights after seeing so many friends say they loved the show. It's a fantastic series (available for instant viewing on Netflix, btw), having just ended its final season earlier this year, and it's not only about football. Not at all. Tami Taylor's portrayal as a mom to two daughters- one a teen and the other a baby- was one of the best examples I've seen on television. A scene in particular where she has "the talk" with her teenage daughter Julie is one I plan to refer to when it comes time for myself to have that talk with my daughter. She's smart, powerful, and compassionate. Tami Taylor is my hero.
At Famecrawler, Friday Night Lights: Why We Love Eric and Tami Taylor
Who did I miss? Which TV mom do you find most inspiring or un-inspiring?
Don’t forget to check out Babble’s 25 more Best Fictional Parents!
Go Back To Strollerderby
14 Comments
elendy commented on Jul 27 11 at 11:28 amYay – so glad to see Tami Taylor as #1 on the list. We are in serious FNL mode right now and I cry at almost every show thinking of her and how she handles…well, everything really, but especially her role as wife and mother.
Can’t wait to share this show with my own girls.
Rebecca Odes commented on Jul 27 11 at 12:57 pmI too am in the throes of a delayed FNL obsession, mostly because of this character. I’m only on season 1 though, better stop reading before I find out anything else I didn’t know from watching!
e commented on Jul 27 11 at 2:49 pmOh, I love Kristina Braverman! I think this character is so real and honest. I agree, the character has made some mistakes with her teenager, but who hasn’t? I think she’s so fantastic!
Cassie Boorn commented on Jul 27 11 at 2:55 pmLOVE Roseanne!
I happen to love Nancy Botwin as well. There is something about her demeanor that I am obsessed with.
One awful example? The mom on the cat and the hat the movie? Kills me.
Elizabeth commented on Jul 27 11 at 8:38 pmLove Roseanne. A favorite quote I have adopted: “Excuse the mess, but we live here.” :)
Kim commented on Jul 27 11 at 9:58 pmI love Parenthood and relate to it so much because I have a child on the spectrum, but like you, I CANNOT stand Kristina Braverman! She drives me nuts. I really want her to take some Xanax or something.
Nancy commented on Jul 28 11 at 2:14 amI am so happy that you have Roseanne on your good list. I love her. She reminds me so much of my “normal” family and so many times, she would say things that I have heard myself say.
jlou commented on Jul 28 11 at 12:38 pmFrankie from The Middle! A realistic mom always trying her best and able to laugh about when she fails. Oh, and she doesn’t treat her husband like one of the kids but as an equal partner.
Zakary commented on Jul 29 11 at 1:09 pmOoh, what a cool post. I think Kristina Braverman is getting there, slowly. Teenaged girls are hard!
Amys blah, blah, blogging commented on Aug 01 11 at 11:31 pmApparently I am WAY behind the times as Marge and Roseanne were the only familiar names on the list. LOL
Sophistishe.com commented on Aug 10 11 at 4:28 amWe are a true Connor family! Mess, sarcasm, love, hustling (not that kind of hustling) and all!
Khanisha commented on Aug 11 11 at 8:29 pmWow, what a heart break. On this list you only have one mother who is a woman of color and she is on your worst list. I love your site Babble, but you should be ashamed. Even better, you should be aware and do better next time.
Stephanie Precourt commented on Aug 11 11 at 8:59 pmKhanisha, I am so sorry for this oversight. I was trying to choose some less obvious/popular TV moms for this list (so no Clair Huxtable, Vivian Banks, Florida Evans) but I should have made more careful choices. I’m not sure what “color” Marge Simpson is, tho… but I’d love to hear your favorite TV moms of color?
Steph
nchan commented on Sep 02 11 at 6:02 amI am not sure why Betty Draper from Mad Men gets so much judgement as a mother. She is aloof and wants perfection, but then her character in the show supposedly had a similar mother, and she is frustrated by her husband’s cheating. She seems too unhappy to be warm to her children. What surprises me though is that her attitude does not change after her divorce – the writers never clarified her character in that respect.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
14