Experienced Bad Mom

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7 Life Lessons I Learned from the Facts of Life

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I gave my daughter the “Jo” hairstyle last week:

TheJoHairstylecollage

It made me happy to recreate that iconic hairstyle sported by Jo on the TV show the Facts of Life, even though my daughter had no idea who “Jo” was! But it turns out that the “Jo” hairstyle made you happy, too. All day long on social media we traded lines, lyrics, and jokes from the show.

What is it about the Facts of Life that touched our generation? Certainly it was much better than those inane Nickelodeon shows that my kids watch these days. Most of the characters on those shows are snarky or act dumb and find themselves in ridiculous, unreal situations week after week.

Meanwhile, years ago on the Facts of Life, our friends Jo, Blair, Tootie and Natalie were facing challenges like prejudice, date rape, disabilities, and more. In other words, it was honest and real, as well as entertaining.

I loved watching Facts of Life growing up and I feel like it taught me a lot. Here are the 7 Life Lessons I Learned from Facts of Life:

FactsofLifeLessons

1. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life.

In other words, life is not all sunshine and lollipops. Some days or situations suck. Some don’t. But that’s life. And the girls always came out stronger and braver for enduring the bad times as well as the good.

2. Everyone needs a Mrs. Garrett in her life.

Edna Garrett was hardworking, caring, kind, and funny. She was a disciplinarian, an entrepreneur, and a role model. We should all be lucky enough to have a Mrs. G in our lives.

3. Friends can be family.

This one rings true now that I’m in my 40s and do not live near my immediate family. But just as Blair, Tootie, Jo and Natalie had each other’s backs, I know that my friends and I will have each other’s backs.

4. Speaking of friends, make sure one can make you laugh and one knows about cars and fixing things.

Seriously, now that we are adults, isn’t it imperative that you have a friend who cracks you up like Natalie did? And a friend who knows how to fix things or what might be wrong with your car like Jo would know?

5. You can reinvent yourself.

In the first season of the Facts of Life, there were a lot of  girls living in a dorm. By Season 2, there were only 4 girls living above the cafeteria. Later, they graduated and moved off campus, running a food shop that later they revamped into a totally 80’s gift shop. They didn’t do the same thing year after year. They took risks and changed things up. I shouldn’t be afraid to reinvent myself either.

6. There are consequences to your actions.

In the second season, Blair, Natalie, Tootie and Jo got in trouble. Their punishment? Living above the cafeteria and working there to repay the damages.

They didn’t make excuses, sue the school, or have their parents buy their way out.

 7. Never underestimate the power of a good hair style.

Jo’s ponytail. Blair’s flip. Tootie’s ponytails with yarn ribbon. Natalie’s pull-back style. Edna Garrett’s bouffant. These hair styles were characters in themselves! And decades later I felt the power of Jo’s street smarts, courage, and sass as I gave my daughter the “Jo” style.

What about you? Did you watch the Facts of Life? What did you learn about life from Jo, Tootie, Natalie and Blair?

 

Comments

  2. My kids, 9 and 8, love Full House. My son kept asking for a leather jacket like Jesse’s and now he is constantly checking his hair. lol They don’t miss an episode. They have watched the show from season one to the end of season eight.

    These older shows were all about learning lessons together as a family while having some laughs along the way. The newer shows never show adults as part of the cast and when they do, it’s to make fun of them or disrespect them.

    The only new show that comes close to replicating the older comedies is Instant Mom, which I sometimes watch with my kids and Girl Meets World, which is a follow up to Boy Meets World.

  3. My nieces, now 32, would watch shows like Full House. I loved that show and would watch with them. Something happened in the 90s. It became “let’s make fun of the adults” time. Parents? Foolish. Teachers? Imbeciles. Employers? Beyond daft.
    Good on you for bringing back Jo. And Tootie. And the rest of the gang.
    Kelly l m kenzie recently posted…Big Mistake. Big. Huge.My Profile

  4. I didn’t watch it often, but I definitely wanted the Jo hairstyle. The good old days of TV. I”m with Michelle — we still watch Magnum, Macgyver, Columbo… and both of my girls went through a Full House phase that wouldn’t quit!
    Seana turner recently posted…Polly’s Cell PhoneMy Profile

  7. I loved this post! I grew up watching The Facts of Life and loved it. Learned so much from the show. My girls grew up watching Full House and Growing Pains and the life lessons there were along the same lines as Facts of Life. They sure don’t make them like that anymore.
    Lisa recently posted…Chicken Cacciatore (Crockpot)My Profile

    • You’re right, they don’t make them like that anymore. I liked Growing Pains, too. That was a good one. And my daughter loves the Full House reruns on Nick. It seems pretty sweet.

    • And thanks for coming by! It’s a pretty decent theme song, I’d say. Somehow it’s connected to Alan Thicke, if my memory serves me correctly.

  10. Great lessons learned! I only watched reruns of the Facts of Life and didn’t see the show in it’s entirety, but it definitely had a lot to teach. Thanks for sharing and linking up with Mommy Needs a Timeout Thursday!

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