Best TV Moms: Loveable Laura Petrie of The Dick Van Dyke Show

There are many great TV Moms, and it can be hard to choose favorites. Among mine, certainly, is Mrs. Laura Petrie of the Dick Van Dyke show. First gracing our presence in 1961, the Petrie family encompassed and showcased typical American values and hardships. We watch the trials and tribulations of work, marriage, home life, social relationships, and of course, love and the family bond.

The glue holding it all together was Laura. Sweet, sassy, and smart, Laura Petrie showed suburban housewives all across the nation it was OK to wear Capri pants. It was even OK, apparently, to disagree with your husband. These were important things to be shown on television at that time in Women's History. Though Laura stayed at home, she always conveyed a very independent spirit, and was not shy to voice her own opinions.

Laura Petrie showed the world that you can be pleasant and feminine, and not be walked all over by society. Although meek at times, and this was scripted purposefully and in a rather cheeky manner to preserve the charm of talented actress Mary Tyler Moore, Laura Petrie was a strong woman who knew how to keep a home, manage a family, and keep true to her own spirit. And she allowed us into this "home" to witness the kinds of mishaps that seem all too familiar to most of us: getting nervous around our in-laws, wanting to spice up our marriages, fighting with our neighbors, issues with hired labor, and disciplining our children. And she always did it with that Laura Petrie attitude: comedic, light-hearted, articulate, and bright.

Laura Petrie remains a great example of TV Moms that America can relate to; a "Mom" to be both charmed by, and proud of.