Television Moms that Are Real Life Moms

People are always amazed at moms who play moms on television. It is rare that the character mom measures up to the real mom. Blending motherhood with a career in acting is a tough and serious role to play. Here is a list of 5 moms that are making work for them.

1. Teri Hatcher. She was born on December 8, 1964. While pursuing a degree in mathematics on her way to make a career in engineering, she made the switch to acting. She has been a part of many movies and television shows. Prior to her role as wife and mother on "Desperate Housewives," she was probably best known for playing Lois on "Lois and Clark." Her daughter, Emerson Rose Tenney, was born on November 10, 1997. Her husband from 1994 to 2003 was Jon Tenney.

On ABC's "Desperate Housewives," she plays a children's books author, Susan. She has a daughter that has grown up from a young teen to a young woman as the show has progressed. While her personal life is a serious of comedic ups and downs, she is always portrayed as a serious mom to her daughter.

2. Felicity Huffman. This is a second mom from ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Her character Lynette Scavo is fortunate not to have become a mass murderer with the TV children that she is chained to. Luckily, her natural children do not behave like the monsters she mothers on this show. Felicity Huffman was born on December 9, 1962. Her children, Sophia Grace, born in 2000, and Georgia Grace, born in 2002, are fathered by her current husband since 1997, William H. Macy.

Like her cohort on "Desperate Housewives," Felicity Huffman has balanced motherhood with a thriving acting career. As this hit joins the ranks of other spring TV shows, it appears that her life will continue to move at a hectic pace.

3. Patricia Arquette. Playing NBC's "Medium," Allison Dubois, a wife and mother of two reflects what many moms go through to make life work. She has to balance the needs of her husband with the demands of a job while keeping up with the social life of two growing daughters, Ariel and Bridgette.

In real life, she was born on April 8, 1968. She has two children. Her son, was born in 1989. Her daughter, Harlow Olivia Calliope, was born in 2003. Since losing her mother to breast cancer in 1997, she has become a huge supporter of breast cancer research. She has been playing Allison Dubois since 2005, but has a long list of credits leading up to her role on this show.

4. Ana Ortiz. She plays Hilda Suarez who is a sister to Betty Suarez on ABC's "Ugly Betty." Hilda is mom to Justin on the show. Hilda is constantly trying to find a way to support herself and her son while pursuing a social life that never quite works.

Ana Ortiz is on the way to being a mom in real life. If all goes well, she will become a mom in July of 2009. Working long hours and maintaining a relationship and a pregnancy is tall order, but Ana seems to be able to get it done. She was born in 1971 and has been married since 2007.

5. Jean Smart. Playing the scheming and unpredictable mother, Regina Newly, to her amnesiac daughter Samantha, Jean Smart makes the most of the role. She is a concerned mother that is always on the lookout for a possible mate for her daughter or a way to make a buck for herself. As one of the stars of ABC's "Samantha Who," Jean Smart has found a home for possibly years to come.

She was born in 1951. After marrying in 1987, she had a son, Conner, born in 1989. For the past 22 years, she has worked hard to keep her career, marriage, and parenting skills on track.

Looking at these strong women who have managed to overcome the odds and keep motherhood alive and well alongside successful careers, makes one believe that being a parent is worth the effort. Nearly everyone who is successful at parenting has to balance multiple tasks to get it accomplished. Very few are asked to do it while living in a fishbowl.