Originally Posted by
Comic-Reader Lad
I'd also add:
1. Edith Bunker, All in the Family - a great mother figure to the entire family. A good example of a mom with an adult child living with her, which we really didn't see a lot before her.
2. Ann Romano, One Day at a Time - really groundbreaking as a divorced, single mom. Raising teenage daughters while pursuing her own work life, love life, and independence. She made lots of mistakes and had lots of self-doubts and had a big temper, but she generally came through in the end.
3. Shirley Partridge, The Partridge Family - could do the sugary-sweet advice thing to her kids like Carol Brady (likewise set to the sad version of her TV theme song), but also had a bit more attitude at times than Carol. Like the time where Keith was fed up with his brother and said "Mom, can I kill Danny?" and Shirley who just didn't want to get involved in yet another one of their conflicts said, "Sure!"