Our moms taught us so much of what we know. But what about those moms who taught us life lessons without ever meeting us - our pop culture moms? Here are some legendary maternal figures, and the wisdom they imparted:
Wilma Flintstone: It's hard enough being a housewife and mother nowadays. Imagine doing it when most of what you own is made out of rock and your appliances consist of discontented, wise-cracking animals (not to mention living with Fred). But Wilma Flintstone - voiced by Jean Vander Pyl - pulled it off with style.
What this mom taught me: Just because a woman is a cartoon doesn't mean she can't also be attractive.
What else this mom taught me: Just because you're a tubby, unattractive sometimes-jerkish guy doesn't mean you can't marry up.
- J. Shane Mercer
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June Cleaver: TVland.com calls Barbara Billingsley's character on the sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," "the quintessential TV mom." A glisteningly clean home and to-the-nines domestic duds (you're not really ready for housework until your pearls match your earrings) were hallmarks of this 1950s and '60s mom.
What this mom taught me: Dress for success.
- J. Shane Mercer
Lois from "Malcolm in the Middle": She wasn't the first borderline-nutty, super-mean mom television introduced to me. That would be Roseanne O'Conner. But Lois took Rosie's no-holds-barred parenting and bumped it up a notch or six. She never failed to assume the worst and expect the best. Her smarty-pants middle son needed it.
What this mom taught me: Crazy can mean caring.
- Dave Roepke
Estelle Costanza: After about a minute of watching the out-of-touch, critical, screeching mother of "Seinfeld" character George Costanza, you really understand a lot about the bizarre neuroses of Jerry's
self-absorbed sidekick.
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What this mom taught me: Screaming at the top of one's lungs is the proper response to any issue that crops up in one's marriage (or any relationship, really).
- J. Shane Mercer
Peggy Hill: When I first started watching "King of the Hill," I was all about the dad, Hank. He reminded me of my own, though my pa is more of a charcoal man. As time went by, it became clear the mom was far more interesting. Her raging ego and not-so-hidden lust for fame make her better laugh fodder than straight-arrow Hank and help explain the artsy and sensitive side of the couple's lone son, Bobby.
What this mom taught me: Each of us must swim in two gene pools, not one.
- Dave Roepke
The old woman in a shoe: Forced to live in footwear and overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for a horde of children, this nursery rhyme mom still managed to supply the basic necessities. Where, by the way, was the dad? I'd say there's some serious alimony coming this lady's way.
What this mom taught me: Mom can make anywhere feel like home.
- J. Shane Mercer
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Lois from "Malcolm in the Middle": She wasn't the first borderline-nutty, super-mean mom television introduced to me. That would be Roseanne O'Conner. But Lois took Rosie's no-holds-barred parenting and bumped it up a notch or six. She never failed to assume the worst and expect the best. Her smarty-pants middle son needed it.
What this mom taught me: Crazy can mean caring.
- Dave Roepke
Kitty Forman: Kitty Forman from "That '70s Show" refused to see her son as anything but the absolute best child that ever lived. From the point of view of an occasionally wayward son, that looked mighty peachy. Confronted with anything negative, the typically Midwestern Kitty would drown out that dirty talk with cluster bombs of brownies and cookies.
What this mom taught me: Baked goods are a valid expression of love.
- Dave Roepke
Murphy Brown: The maternal lessons I picked up from the titular character on "Murphy Brown" stemmed from the single-mom flap. I was aware of single parents, of course, but the thought of a family starting out that way had never occurred to me. It seemed odd. When the vice president chimed in to chastise Murphy for flying solo, it seemed even odder.
What this mom taught me: Families come in many forms, but politicians are all shameless press hounds.
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- Dave Roepke
