Claire Huxtable, Where Are You? This Season's Worst TV Moms
If you looked at television to represent what today's American mom is, you would think we were a country full of bitter, anorexic, promiscuous women that hate their bosses, their kids and their husbands. And, these MILFs would just as likely stab you in the back with a stiletto as make you chocolate chip cookies.
Remember when we had awesome working mom role models--the ones who made the time for both career and family? Where are you Maggie Malone Seaver (Growing Pains), Claire Huxtable (The Cosby Show--see a great clip of her here), and Angela Bower (Who's the Boss?)? And the best yet: Family Ties' architect Elyse Keaton--a WAHM pioneer back in the day!
Who is writing this stuff on television today? And why can't a woman on TV love her family, her job and cook or even eat an occasional meal? There seem to be three speeds to the TV mom: mean mom, aloof mom, and sleeping with the gardener mom. There's a real shortage of positive role models for working moms out there right now--but a plethora of offenders.
Here, Hybrid Mom's list of worst TV moms:
Nancy Botwin (Weeds): Sure, some might say that she put her career in high gear (pun intended) when she became the sole breadwinner, but she constantly puts her life ahead of her children's. She sees herself as a martyr; we see her constant narcissism as annoying.
Terri Schuester (Glee): Does it get any worse than a conniving, jealous wife who fakes a pregnancy? This is a daytime-soap level of skeeze.
Jackie Peyton (Nurse Jackie): While we love the overworked, overburdened character, we can't help but wonder how she finds time for her kids between the affairs, the job, and the drug habit.
Lily van der Woodsen/Humphrey (Gossip Girl): Always looking for her next meal ticket/husband, Lily appears caring and doting--but only between shopping sprees and mani/pedis.
Bree Hodge (Desperate Housewives): The premise of this long-running series is to show the cracks in the facade, and they've done just that. Bree attempts to rule her family-run business while simultaneously sacrificing her relationship with her son.
Readers, what do you think? Did we miss any?
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