Lessons Learned From “The Brady Bunch’s” Alice
Today we mourn the loss of a woman who helped raise 6 Brady kids… and millions of other kids who watched her on TV. She was known in real life as Anne B. Davis, but to most of us, she was known simply as Alice. Ann was 88 years old and passed away in her home on Sunday. She was an incredibly talented actress with impeccable comedic timing, and has left a lasting legacy of life lessons from her role as Alice on The Brady Bunch. Let’s remember a few of them together.
Lesson 1: Don’t try to be perfect. “If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a perfect kid.” Alice was known for holding each Brady kid responsible for their mistakes, but she was always understanding and compassionate when they would make them. She was the kind of housekeeper a kid only dreams of.
Lesson 2: When in doubt, throw your back out. If you don’t want to participate in manual labor, throw your back out! Any kind of strenuous labor would always cause Alice to hurt her back, making her immobile for a short period of time. As a housekeeper who maybe needed a few breaks from keeping house, this was a brilliant (and probably a little painful) plan.
Lesson 3: Take advantage of the perks of the job. When you work for people who need your help all the time, chances are they’ll bring you along on a free trip to Hawaii. And free trips to Hawaii are the best! Especially with the Bradys.
Lesson 4: Don’t take life too seriously. Even though she had 6 kids and two adults to take care of and clean up after, Alice always had a great sense of humor about things. Like the time she fell into the Brady Booth and was totally cool with it.
Lesson 5: Find someone who makes you laugh. If you’re someone who appreciates humor, date a butcher. Life will be so much funnier! Or if you don’t know a butcher, date someone who will keep you on your toes and laugh with you.
Lesson 6: Family is everything. And the best lesson of all, if you want to love and be loved unconditionally, be an active and loving member of a family. Even if it isn’t your own. You don’t have to be related by blood to be family.
Alice was genuine, comforting, hilarious and always taught us important life lessons. We all wish we had an Alice. Even with the sad news of Ann’s death, it’s hard not to smile and be thankful for the joy and laughter she brought us for so many years. She will be missed by all, but her legacy will live on in our childhood memories and in syndication.
Images and video via Youtube, NYDailyNews, Ovguide, Zimbio, A Very Brady Blog, Stickboydaily, Shmoop
