25 incredible TV moms we love to watch

Carol Brady – The Brady Bunch

If anybody could give Lorelai Gilmore a run for her mothering money, it’s Carol Brady. She was a modern mother before the phrase “blended families” was even part of our cultural vocabulary. Raising three girls is tough enough, but taking on three boys after she married their father is tough stuff, no matter how you look at it.

In the early days, Carol had to adjust to a lot of growing pains and transition struggles. Her young girls weren’t used to having all those gross boys around, and the idea that they had three new brothers was a tough pill swallow. Eventually, however, the families blended, and the word “step-siblings” wasn’t even a consideration.

After years of living together, Carol had the personalities and quirks of her children down pat. She was always kind, loving and understanding, and I don’t remember a time when she raised her voice or lost her temper. This doesn’t mean her kids didn’t act like hellions. They broke furniture, hurt each other, and generally caused havoc. Through it all, she was her kids’ best advocate and left the tougher loving to her husband Mike.

But, let’s face it, there wasn’t a whole lot of tough anything happening in the Brady household. Thankfully, her six children responded to softer touch, and they fell in line, most times, with a side glance or a disappointing sigh.

Carol kept all six kids in check and she did so without mussing a hair on that flawless shag cut of hers. She was the picture of flawlessness and motherly perfection, and I have to commend her effort to keep it cool.