9 TV Moms Who Gave the Best Life Advice Ever

By Maggie Malach
May 13, 2017

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LORELAI GILMORE, GILMORE GIRLS

Credit: Lance Staedler/The WB

Of course Lorelai has the best breakup advice ... because she's Lorelai Gilmore: "Get back in your pajamas, go to bed, eat nothing but gallons of ice cream and tons of pizza, don’t take a shower or shave your legs or put on any kind of makeup at all and just sit in the dark and watch a really sad movie and have a good long cry and just wallow. You need to wallow."

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REBECCA 'AUNT BECKY' KATSOPOLIS, FULL HOUSE

Credit: ABC Photo Archives/ABC/Getty

Okay, so Becky technically doled out this nugget of wisdom as an aunt, but since she served as a maternal figure to D.J. — and went on to be a mom to twins Nicky and Alex! — it totally counts. "Only my mom taught me that the secret to wearing makeup is to make it look like you're not wearing any," she told her teen niece.

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CLAIRE DUNPHY, MODERN FAMILY

Credit: John Fleeno/ABC

Okay, so Claire's advice is more for the parents than the kids, but it's sound nonetheless: "Raising a kid is like sending a rocketship to the moon. You spend the early years in constant contact, and then one day, around the teenage years, they go around the dark side and they're gone. And all you can do is wait for that faint signal that says they're coming back."

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TAMI TAYLOR, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Credit: Bill Records/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

The fan-favorite TV mom is an endless fountain of wisdom, including this quote, which we should all live by: "There's no weakness in forgiveness."

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KIRSTEN COHEN, THE O.C.

Credit: Everett

Kirsten had her moments of questionable parenting (like when she didn't want her future adopted son Ryan Atwood to sleep in the house), but she was there when it mattered. She even guided Ryan's childhood friend, Theresa, telling her: "You don't have to make the decision that makes the most sense."

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LUCILLE BLUTH, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Credit: Everett

Lucille was often harsh — especially to her own kids — but it would be remiss to not include one of her tips. Take this advice as you will: "You want your belt to buckle, not your chair."

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ELEANOR WALDORF, GOSSIP GIRL 

Credit: Everett

Remember at the start of Gossip Girl when Eleanor was kind of the worst mom? Well, as the show progressed, her character became a much more maternal figure; she even passed on some sage advice to daughter Blair: "Sometimes you have to allow yourself to be weak and in order to grow stronger."

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ASHLEY MARIN, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC Family/Getty

Ashley was by far the coolest mom on Pretty Little Liars, and she had some pretty wise words for Hanna to boot: "Just because somebody hurt us once, doesn't mean we have to permanently delete them from our phonebook. Things change. People grow."

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CAROL BRADY, THE BRADY BUNCH

Credit: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

Trust Mrs. Brady to impart wisdom that women of any age can use: "You mustn't let the boys upset you."

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By Maggie Malach