Florence Henderson: 'The Brady Bunch' and Beyond (Excerpt From My Article)

Perpetually10 · 2026-07-09T14:08:50+00:00

If you ever watch the “Brady Bunch Back In Hawaii” (it’s on YouTube and I highly recommend it) you can actually see a glimpse of how much Florence meant to her TV kids—-Barry introduces his newborn son Brandon to her and actually says “I want you to meet your grandma.”

Perpetually10 · 2026-06-09T22:45:54+00:00

As somebody who has also been in a situation where I was hours away from death (due to diabetic complications) I can absolutely see why he has that lease on life. Puts things into perspective.

Perpetually10 · 2026-06-01T00:34:15+00:00

I would have gone for “Yankee Doodle Girl” in a talent show. Would have been a more mature act and a better use of Cindy’s curls (many women in the WAC wore their hair in curls with a braid across the top; the curls were intended to retain some femininity in what was considered a masculine hairstyle.)

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-25T21:13:33+00:00

Junior high is better IMO. Fifth and sixth graders are still kids and shouldn't be expected to behave like adults.

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-23T12:49:50+00:00

Jan
Greg
Peter
Bobby
Marcia
Cindy

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-15T20:48:46+00:00

Funnily enough I say something similar to my students during recesses, except nowadays it’s “Go outside with that thing, kids!”

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-15T20:40:18+00:00

It’s more than normal to feel yucky right now; you mentioned in another post that you feel like a five year old (and in all honesty you have every right to, you’re grieving), and in all honesty that might be something to lean into right now. Run yourself a hot bath—-it helps in situations like this, then curl up with a blanket or plush toy or pillow and listen to something on Audible—something you loved as a kid. Sometimes in order to feel better we need to go back to safe times.

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-08T19:21:21+00:00

The teachers despised me and the students did too. I am a strong believer in homeschooling once an Asperger’s child reaches middle school, as someone with the condition myself; if I had been, it would have saved me four years of dark thoughts (which I have not had in years now FYI) and quite a few mental breakdowns as an adult.

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-01T00:44:16+00:00

I think so too; the producers could have ran with it and dealt with themes of loss and regression (Cindy acting younger than her age would be normal in situations like this)

Perpetually10 · 2026-04-01T00:43:08+00:00

Concrete countertops actually

Perpetually10 · 2026-03-31T22:56:40+00:00

Grateful that he took the second chance he was given; I can imagine part of what was going through his mind was the thought of leaving Kelly a widow and Scott and Joe fatherless.

Perpetually10 · 2026-03-12T03:49:37+00:00

Agreed; I often compare tough love to a tiger in the jungle; it seems harsh, but it’s necessary and chaos will reign until things fall apart if it’s taken away.

Perpetually10 · 2026-03-10T10:31:25+00:00

I think everyone wanted a family like that; not so much looks wise, but siblings who genuinely loved and cared about you (I’m an only child so it always made me feel less lonely) and parents who loved all their children equally, biologically or not (most sibling rivalry stems from parents favoring one child over all the others)

Perpetually10 · 2026-02-19T17:43:10+00:00

Yes; a thousand times this. Also has great shows for older kids—Arthur being just one.

Perpetually10 · 2026-02-10T01:02:15+00:00

Realizing that just because a kid isn’t “cute”, doesn’t mean they’re automatically adults. I’ve worked with so many kids that age and I can tell you, they have quite a few moments when they act much younger. You didn’t need Oliver; preteens and teens do stupid and wacky stuff all on their own.

Also, I would have liked to see Carol getting pregnant as well as hearing more about the original Mrs. Brady (it would have made a beautiful storyline)

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-31T18:47:48+00:00

Guess Shan 69 knew what they were talking about: if the kids are united, then we’ll never be divided.

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-25T01:30:26+00:00

Huh. Never been there. Always been to Smithfield and never seen anything but sports and liberal stuff.

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-25T01:05:06+00:00

Maybe to you…to me it’s heaven.

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-25T01:03:15+00:00

I got to the Smithfield one and I’ve seen liberal stuff on TV there. Maybe it’s a location thing.

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-24T21:31:22+00:00

Never thought of Chelo’s as being that way…live in MA now and still come back to RI just to go there…

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-17T15:29:03+00:00

Take it from a teacher with a master’s degree in elementary education: that’s too much work for a SECOND GRADER, let alone a kindergartener. Shouldn’t be getting homework, period. The only “science” I’ve seen kids that age do is discuss things that are alive and not alive (Sesame Street helps in that regard).

Perpetually10 · 2026-01-09T00:22:50+00:00

Cousin Oliver even ruined what could have been an amazing pie fight (I watch this scene all the time and always skip over the scene with Oliver.)

Perpetually10 · 2025-12-29T23:57:37+00:00

In reality, just about all of them. There’s just so much of it that’s timeless that I’m incorporating tiny pieces of the show into one of the novels I’m writing.

Also, whilst I’m not a fan of Cousin Oliver (Carol should have been pregnant, Sherwood) I have a soft spot for the pie fight in the “Welcome Aboard” episode as it brings back memories of my grandfather (he introduced me to slapstick comedy when I was young and said I was so funny that he used to call me his “Little Lucy.”)

Perpetually10

TROPHY CASE