What Donna Reed Can Teach Us About Motherhood
By: Brianne Taylor (The Federalist)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
"She is the strength of our nation, our community, and our family. The most beautiful word in the English language — mother." So ended a speech Mary Stone gave about her mother on "The Donna Reed Show," season one, episode four, which aired back in the fall of 1958. It was a different time. The mothers in the audience sobbed, the whole town buzzed about how wonderful Donna was, and a newspaper reporter showed up at the house to take photographs for a heartwarming story. There was nothing remotely controversial about this celebration of motherhood, something as American as baseball and apple pie.
Fast forward to 2023. According to Arizona Informer, corporations across America, including Hallmark, Kay Jewelers, and DoorDash, just to name a small sampling, are allowing their customers to opt out of Mother's Day emails. While intended as a courtesy for those who have lost mothers, such heightened sensitivity could move us closer to eliminating Mother's Day from the calendar entirely.
"That could never happen!" you might say. Don't be too sure. Even though many Americans remember growing up with "The Donna Reed Show," things have changed so drastically since the late '50s, the Stones may as well have been living in the Stone Age. The dress and pearls Donna wore while serving breakfast are as antiquated as the rotary phone she answers in the opening credits. If we can't even define what a woman is these days, who is to say Mother's Day won't end up as something you only see celebrated in reruns?
I grew up watching Nick at Nite and its "Better Living Through Television" ads. Old classics like "The Donna Reed Show" have long been derided because "nobody lived like that!" — and it's true, few people did! This is old television — it wasn't meant to be realistic and depressing, it was meant to entertain and teach little lessons. Maybe I was brainwashed, but I've always believed taking a cue from these shows can improve our lives in little ways.
So what does this episode of "The Donna Reed Show" teach us about motherhood, and how can it help us to live better? Mary's essay describes the "sublime sacrifices" mothers make every day, "that the world will never know about because there is no poet around to record them," like tending to a crying child during the night. She describes a mother's love as a love that "asks no questions, no demands, just giving is enough." This is as true today as it was in 1958, but somewhere along the way, our culture became more self-centered, and we've pushed this mentality on mothers.
Instead of encouraging all these little sacrifices, we've questioned why anyone would want to make them. And because these sacrifices go unnoticed, we urge women to find something more "fulfilling" than just motherhood, whether it's employment, activism, or even just "influencing" so they can be seen and recognized. Have raises, promotions, or just likes become more valued than the thanks of a grateful family?
"Running a house, raising kids, serving on committees, working at the hospital … and you still find time to cheer your husband up with a cup of coffee!" Even Mac, the laundry man, is singing Donna's praises when he arrives at the Stones' house the next morning to collect the washing. Donna appears to be able to do it all! But it's not really all those things that impress Mac. As he explains to her husband, "You see Doc, in my business, I see women at their worst — in the morning. But whenever I deliver cleaning to Mrs. Stone — that wonderful smile — I dance through my route the rest of the day!" It is her attitude that sets Donna apart and makes her a role model for all the other mothers in Hilldale and in the real world today.
Donna is cheerful and full of good humor as she attends to her household and motherly duties. Even when her husband becomes annoyed about all the attention the speech receives, she doesn't roll her eyes or complain. She just does her best to make him realize that he is appreciated too.
This is probably the part of the show most foreign to modern viewers. Where are the complaints? Where is the frustration about having to wash another round of dishes? Why isn't Donna counting down to wine o'clock? Being a mother has always been hard work, but social media seems to have amplified all that is difficult about motherhood and made the aggravations a fundamental part of it. It is utterly refreshing to see a mom on TV completing her household tasks well, raising well-mannered children, and not complaining about any of it.
Few can argue that our nation is stronger now than it was in 1958. Surveys and studies show that for children and teenagers in particular, things are pretty bleak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42 percent of high school students in 2021 felt persistently sad or hopeless, and 30 percent of high school girls seriously contemplated suicide. The average teen spends nearly nine hours a day on screens (and they are not watching Donna Reed).
Rather than "opt-out" of Mother's Day, perhaps we should reaffirm our belief that mothers are the "strength of our nation" and commit to acting that way. Mothers, it does indeed take self-sacrifice, hard work, and lots of good humor to raise the next generation. If you need some inspiration, stay off social media and try binge-watching "The Donna Reed Show" (streaming free on the Roku Channel). You don't need to wear a dress and pearls while serving breakfast, but a wonderful smile might make the laundry man dance through his route — or at least brighten your family's day.
Brianne Taylor is a homemaker and mother of four boys. She loves classic television, Elvis, and baking bread.
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I'm a day late on posting this.
I did wonder: do democrats celebrate Mother's Day?
Keep your corporate created holidays to yourself! until we can officially launch birthing persons day that is! (s)
Did you here the complaint?
Not enough non-whites.
There were no non whites on that show.
You just said you didn't watch the show. You may also want to note that white persons constituted 88.6 percent of the total population in 1960.
That is why you saw so many whites on TV.
Fear not, Joe Biden has corrected that.
Never said that. I said its been a while. The show went off the air 57 years ago.
Willie Mays is White? Somebody tell the Hall of fame they have the wrong picture up.
That was corrected long before Joe Biden became president. But why does it bother you that people of color are seen on tv shows now?
Here is a list of some of the guest stars on The Donna reed Show. Every single one of them is white.
It seems to be a concern of yours, not mine.
Look at your comments.
You lied in your comment, you got caught, move on.
Willie Mays - IMDb
Tell us: Who else was working to transorm the demographics of the country?
George nailed it!
Willy Mays
Go to the head of the class!
Big fucking deal!!! It was 60+ damned years ago. There weren't any hispanics or Asians either. Where is the faux outrage?
fuck off. one time, black superhero baseball player , out of hundreds of characters that appeared on the show, doesnt mean shit.
i mentioned hispanics and asians. havent wiped the sleep out of your eyes yet?
Fuck Off is the lament of the loser.
You did try John.
George did his homework.
Gee, I hate when it becomes all about race!
Then stop going back to the 1950's to find a social setting you approve of. You are fooling no one Vic.
John. you're obsessed with race.
You are forwarding a Marxist scheme to divide this country. I think you need to stop.
Another lie, he appeared multiple times, your comments have been exposed for what they are, now move the goal posts again.
We dont want your John Birch Society ideas influencing our country.
LMAO!
Yes I have. And that is down thread and NOT directly previous to your comment above. I stand corrected.
You have repeatedly held up the 1950's and the early 1960's as the period in American history that we should all aspire to recreate. YOU do that here, no one else. In that period there was no women's lib, no Civil Rights Act, and no gays out of the closet. If you dont want to be criticized stop promoting the 1950's as the best period in American history. You are utterly transparent.
I have without a doubt called the period between the end of WWII and the start of Vietnam as the high point of our civilization.
In that period there was no women's lib, no Civil Rights Act, and no gays out of the closet.
It was nonetheless still the most affluent time for most people. We were happy despite all of the problems that we always have. It simply was a better time. It was good to have all the things you listed too.
If you dont want to be criticized stop promoting the 1950's as the best period in American history.
I don't think you finished that thought, but let me say the lefties can criticize me all they want. It happens to be true and the left has now created a hell on earth for the country they obviously hate.
Wrong again, Willie Mays appeared in three episodes of the Donna Reed show.
whoop de do
Says a lot, integrity is a whoop de do.
[deleted]
Oh lord give us the strength to survive
I could give an article like this more credence if it didnt come from a far right website.
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I always like Donna Ree as an actress, and she did play an iconic role as Mary Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life. Reed was also great in From Here To Eternity , and in They Were Expendable.
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Its been a while since I have watched the Donna Reed television show, but I am pretty sure they never had black Latino , or Asian characters on the show, or any lower class whites. Her husband was a doctor. In other words, the setup was only realistic for a portion of the American people. And thats not even taking into account the 60 years have that passed since. In 1963 there was no such thing as "women's rights" as we know it today, and the word gay meant happy.
An open mind is a terrible thing to disregard.................SSDD from you
What a rational standard /S
Dr Stone didn't have to treat any drug addicts either.
In 1963 there was no such thing as "women's rights"
Who on the left believes in that? The left supports trans males playing women's sports.
In 1963 a woman could be comfortable playing sports, with a chance to win. And women didn't have to worry about seeing a male in a Ladies Room.
So, again, you can't dispute the information so you are going to cry about the source.
Stop trolling.
Stop crying.
Stop trolling.
Bingo. Seems some search for sources they don't like and then poo poo the whole of the article and what is being said. It is really quite sad and no way to go through daily life.
Good morning democrats
The trans "woman" had no tits.
He was lacking in other areas as well.
Hilarious.
Look at all these white people, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld must be racists.
Seinfeld has taken some criticism for being all white, but in the 1990's there were a lot of other shows that did have minority characters , and stars. In 1960 there were none, unless you want to count Jack Benny's stepnfetchit like butler Rochester.
And you know what John, there are a shitload of TV shows as well as movies that have no whites in them today. Who the hell is living in the past now?
Another lie John, you just can't stop. Didn't Bill Cosby star in I Spy? Diahann Carroll star in Julia, Keep digging.
neither I Spy or Julia were on in 1960
Those shows broke barriers in late 1960s!
Donna Reed didn't have any black friends.
Bullshit. Not the year 1960 but Donna Reed ran 1958-1966. I spy was on from 1965-1968.
How about the 50" didn't Nat King Cole have his own show?
I said 1960. [deleted]
BIRMINGHAM (ALA.) APRIL 11.
Nat “King” Cole, the Negro entertainer, to-day cancelled three appearances in the Southern United States and left for Chicago to rest after being attacked by white men while he was singing with Ted Heath’s band here last night. Mr Cole received a slight back injury during the scuffle. To-day six men were formally charged with assault with intent to murder him, but later the charge against four of them was changed to conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour.
Later, police reported more than a hundred white men had planned to attack Cole and overpower Heath’s band. They said the affair had been planned four days before it took place. A total of 150 men from the Birmingham area and near-by towns were to have arrived at the auditorium, but the mob failed to show up.
I'm telling you they fucking overlapped. Can you fucking comprehend? And who the fuck cares about 1960 proper? YOU are the one living in the past on this article.
Belafonte won an Emmy in 1960 for a television special, How dare he! John is sure there are no black actors on TV.
Hey, here is an idea.
Let's attack an article on a tv show for being too white, but let's not talk about the Democratic Party policies of Jim Crow which went on for far, far longer!
Newstalkers has become an idiot factory.
Maybe that was just a token Emmy?
Stumped again huh? Fire Ready Aim.
Fucking animals somethings never change
Govenor of Alabama
January 19, 1959
(term-limited)
James W. Morgan (1891 – 1971) was a mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama , United States, from 1953 to 1961. [1] Morgan was born in 1891 in Birmingham and educated in that city. Democrat
Then it is a good thing you answer Perries prayers by coming here everyday.
And coincidentally at the same time.
Really? Perrie told me NT broke the mold after I joined ...
George,
Actually, Seinfeld was the first TV show to have Jerry dating an Indian girl, showing all the bias there is towards Indians.
How do you figure it was bias toward Indians? He wanted to date her and was very careful so as not to even come close to using something she may have found offensive.
I'm not saying he was biased toward Indians. I am saying they are addressing the sensitivities towards Indians. Obviously, if Jerry liked her, he wasn't biased. I thought that would be a given.
You originally said bias but okay I see your point. It was indeed sensitivities.
Olde white men dream of a return to the 1950s...
For everyone else that wet dream is a nightmare!
I don't think very many people want to return to the Democratic Party heydays.
I believe him, the democrats love them some Klan bakes on the beach, siccing dogs on the minorities for being out after dark. those are the days democrats dream of.
Dwight Eisenhower was President in the '50s, the McCarthy Era. The 1950s were hardly a "Democratic Heyday". In fact. Those were wretched times for woman, minorities and the LGBTQ community...
Then you need a history lesson on your very own party.
Of course they were Democratic heydays--Democrats controlled the federal government and enjoyed a large majority in Congress in LARGE part thanks to the solid South voting en masse for Democrats who instilled and supported Jim Crow laws and policies for decades!.
Lol.
Thanks in large part to the Democratic Party.
Own it.
All this seed lacks is a white picket fence around all the b.s. ... real people lived above, below and next door to the Kramdens and no one called 'Mac' picked up the laundry.
Who in the hell really cares if some old television show had minorities on it or not?
WTF difference does it make?
Does bitching about it change it at all?
It does for some people it seems..........
There are a couple of folks here who are almost as fixated on race as they are on Trump.
I really didn't figure they had room in their heads for BOTH fixations!
You underestimate the vast amount of empty space available to be filled with virtual signaling outrage.
I like to be surprised from time to time!
In Conclusion:
The purpose of this seed was to show that motherhood used to be admired & celebrated. Today our woke corporations are abandoning not only that idea, but also America's values.
To our loyal readers: One final note:
You will notice the radical concern with race. We were famous as a society that based everything on merit. Now it is an authorian state appointing people based on nothing but race & identity.
We have an incompetent vice president, an incompetent Supreme Court Justice and an incompetent FAA director.
Is this really what we have descended into?
Motherhood is not admired and celebrated anymore? What planet are you living on?
The planet where a Supreme Court Justice can't even define a woman.
Hey now, come on!
Shouldn't we all be more tolerant and do away totally with the sexist term "Mother's Day"?
Shouldn't we all be celebrating "Birthing Person's Day"?
“We have an incompetent vice president, an incompetent Supreme Court Justice and an incompetent FAA director.”
Says the author who reminded us “this seed was to show that motherhood used to be admired & celebrated.” Perhaps the conflation is inevitable these daze and indicative of “what we have descended into.”
And motherhood is most certainly revered…to argue otherwise is ludicrous (unless someone has mommy issues).
Fast forward to 2023. According to Arizona Informer, corporations across America, including Hallmark, Kay Jewelers, and DoorDash, just to name a small sampling, are allowing their customers to opt out of Mother's Day emails. While intended as a courtesy for those who have lost mothers, such heightened sensitivity could move us closer to eliminating Mother's Day from the calendar entirely.