Don't know if I'd do that, but practicallly, yeah. I'd need it to watch DVDs on, at least.

Last night, I was hanging out at the Barnes & Noble café, flipping through Ken Tucker’s (TV critic for Entertainment Weekly) new book, Kissing Bill O’Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy, and came across his listing of the best and worst television mothers and fathers (one in each category from each decade). I can’t remember all his entries, but I loved his list of best moms:

1950s: Donna Stone (Donna Reed Show)
1960s: Aunt Bea (Andy Griffith Show)
1970s: Florida Evans (Good Times)
1980s: Elyse Keaton (Family Ties)
2000s: Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

And, of course, for the 1990s—Joyce Summers!

Not only that, but in the column on the portrayal of sex on network television (or the lack thereof), he said BtVS gave viewers the only believable treatment of sex in modern life, as opposed to the giggly teenage view most other shows provide.

And, of course, for the 1990s—Joyce Summers!

Joyce had her flaws, but consdering she was a single mom raising onetwo daughters, she did good.

Oh, god, I hate Lorelai's mothering. Ick.

Oh, god, I hate Lorelai's mothering. Ick.

I was just about to post that. Way too co-dependent, shading into child-as-parent.

I think he's right...in most cases those women, though idealized in various ways, are 'real" in some ways too. I think if MSCL had stayed on, her mom could have had a shot at that...their mom-daughter stuff was pretty right-on, because the show didn't take a side, you know? Like in some teen shows, because we see through Angela's eyes, Angela would be right all the time. Or in some parent shows, Angela would be a gum-smacking "Whatever." PITA that we'd always see Mom "trying so hard" all the time with. But in real life, even good parents care about things for the wrong reasons(that fashion thing). And good teens get snitty and pull away for no reason they understand. My mom's like Joyce crossed with Lois in "Malcolm" And, wrod, on the BTVS sex-depicting.

I'm kind of curious about the 'worst moms' list, and whether 'worst' means 'worst parent', or 'most unrealistic'.

I'm trying to remember who was on the list, and what he used for parameters. I think he defined them as Best and Worst Parent to have had for your own.

I do know that he had Archie and Edith Bunker for worst dad and mom of the 1970s (Archie was abusive, Edith was supporting of his abuse), Danny Thomas's character as worst dad of the 1960s, and Ray Romano's character as the worst dad of the 2000s. Oh, and Dan Connor (John Goodman) was the best dad of the 1990s.

Ray Romano's character as the worst dad of the 2000s.

This makes me happy.

Dan Connor (John Goodman) was the best dad of the 1990s.

Heh. And this makes me happy.