Since November is National Inspirational Role Model Month, I thought it’d be fun to list some television wives I’ve admired over the years.
Even though they are TV wives, in a TV world where everything’s scripted and a happy ending is assured, there’s wisdom and inspiration to be gleaned from their foibles, mishaps, and messes nonetheless. Because conflict, confrontation, and duress are guaranteed at some point during the half hour or hour time slot in which their shows run. That’s what makes it entertaining: to see how they’ll deal with, and eventually overcome, the problems they’re faced with.
I’ve listed the wives by the decade in which their shows first appeared and included a description of why they made the list.
1950s
• Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy): I think Lucy appeals to many women for the same reason: she wanted more. Not from her marriage, but from her life. Even when she knew Ricky wouldn’t be pleased with her latest scheme, she went for it. Yet, she was also a loyal, loving, and supportive wife. She just had a knack for trouble!
• Margaret Anderson (Father Knows Best): She was the personification of the perfect wife and mother. She radiated warmth, compassion, understanding, and most of all love. What I wouldn’t give to possess just a smidge of her repose…
1960s
• Samantha Stevens (Bewitched): Perky, pretty, and able with a wiggle of her nose to do just about anything. She made housework and housewifery look like so much fun!
• Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show): The specifics of this show are hazy for me, but Laura came to mind because she was so cute and made such a cute wife.
1970s
• Carol Brady (The Brady Bunch): She was such a hip kind of mom, wasn’t she? She wore funky clothes, had cute hairstyles, but was endearingly devoted to her family’s happiness.
• Caroline Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie): It was the way she ran her house with gentle tenderness and her quiet soft spoken manner that I adored.
Questions for Readers
Do you have any TV wife/mom heroes? Who were your favorites during the fifties, sixties, and seventies? Are any of yours the same as the ones I’ve listed? Who was different?
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