Ann was a crappy mother much of the time

Yes, the writers certainly made her reflective of a certain type of real-life mother: one who can't control her anger and lashes out, hurting her loved ones, when she doesn't get her way. I couldn't stand the character during the show's original run, and now that I have young adult children myself, REALLY can't stand her. Maybe it's because I grew up with this type of mom that it rankles me so. I'd take a "robo-mom" over this any day.

I like a dose of realism. I'm not fond of turning my mind off when I turn the television on.

That's what being a mother is in real life? I'm glad you told me. I don't know how I raised three sons without once: 1) telling them to shut up, 2) telling them they're stupid, and 3) spanking them.

Mothers who make martyrs of themselves, and self-sacrifice to the point they wind up not having anything left over for themselves aren't much better. And they usually are shrewish and bitter underneath, themselves; they just learn to hide it behind a mask.

Typical Italian.

Typical Italian???

Jesus H. ...that was a stupid thing to say.

So then, I guess you never watched the series MAUDE, or the movie MOMMIE DEAREST?

There are more, but those are the first two that came to mind.

Granted it was a comedy show, but could you imagine having a mother like Lucy in the series I LOVE LUCY? There were later series when her TV kids (characters) were grown, and the Lucy character was much more "grounded" though.


Furthermore, this show did not age well IMHO.
Attitudes have significantly changed over the years since it was made. Women may not yet get completely equal pay (still), but women were EXPECTED to leave their wartime jobs after WWII when the men came home, and simply go back to being "Suzy Homemakers", and love it... After all, the jobs belonged to men who had a wife and family to support! (See what changed? Practically the whole idea of men's and women's roles in life!) Think of WHO'S THE BOSS too, with a macho man as a housekeeper.
BTW, the show was made during the days when a male (men down to young boys) never knew whether to open a door for a woman. Far more often than anyone born after 1990 would ever imagine, doing that would earn you an icy, angry glare, with a face of scorn or disgust, from a women's libber, and sometimes a loud angry tirade about being a male chauvinist pig! These days, the tirades are gone, and the icy glares have turned to occasional suspicious side glances.


As far as "Ann Romano" goes, she did take on a lot of responsibility, (but did take child support too). When "Ed" tried to get out of that deal, (related to a new GF/wife), that little detail was made known. While I never got the chance to watch all of the episodes, I do not remember ever hearing alimony mentioned, (These days alimony is termed "spousal support" to be politically correct. Two more changes...)

If Ann was such a 'crappy mother' it's doubtful that her two girls would have chosen to uproot themselves and move with her to Indianapolis, rather than stay with their father--who could have provided them with a home where they could have remained in familiar surroundings, and who could have done a lot more materially for them. Nor would they have been as protective of her as they were, if she were such a poor mother to them.

50 Is The New Cutoff Age.