25 incredible TV moms we love to watch

Jane Villanueva – Jane The Virgin

In terms of sentimentality, Jane Villanueva is, hands down, my favorite mom. She may have fallen into motherhood by accident, getting accidentally pregnant by the baby’s father’s sister. But she took to it naturally and elegantly.

Based on a Venezuelan telenovela, the melodrama and camp is dialed all the way up on Jane the Virgin, but it’s still heartfelt and genuine. Jane might be a virgin, but she is also a stellar mother, dealing with a young man who doesn’t often fit the typical TV toddler. Her son, Mateo, is strong-willed, quick-tempered, and doesn’t always act along standard behavior norms.

As another mother, often seeking validation for my own parenting struggles, I’ve often looked to Jane and Mateo for a source of comic relief, commiseration, and encouragement. Few shows take on the anxiety of a mother better than this series. I’ve wrung my hands many-a-nights worrying about my child, and watching Jane’s struggles with her son is balm to my soul.

Jane isn’t a perfect, patient mother, though. She’s lost her cool with Mateo and those around her. In true telenovela fashion, she’s really been through the ringer. Mateo was kidnapped at birth by an evil twin, there’s been murders, double-crosses, blackmail, extortion, and lots and lots of romantic entanglements. Jane doesn’t always handle them with as much poise as is required, but she always trusts her instincts.