I know, I know she gets flack for being neurotic and controlling, but I kind of get where she comes from. In the beginning everything would fall apart in her house if it wasn’t for her. Phil, may be a great dad, but he started off as a terrible husband. Constantly hitting on other women in front of Claire, always being the fun parent, never taking any responsibility, etc.

As the show progressed we got to see different sides of Claire. The one moment that stood out to me was when DeDe starting dating her ex bf. That was the moment where I thought, fuck they have a terrible mother. Claire may have had her faults, but she never tried to outright hurt her kids. She was understanding as she could be, she tried to evolve. Everything came full circle when she accepted and absorbed the fact that her mom was gone, and theres no changing whatever regrets there may lie in that relationship.

The relationship she eventually developed with Gloria was amazing. I feel like she was on the defensive when Gloria first came into the picture, because not only was her dad marrying a younger hotter woman, she always seemed like she had her shit together. Claire on the other hand was just trying to squish everything together and hope that it doesn’t fall apart.

She lived her life for others for most of her former years. Then we got to see a different independent side to Claire. When she took part in the elections, eventually became the boss of Pritchett Closets. As expected she turned out to be a workaholic, wouldn’t expect anything less from her. But here again she learned how to balance everything. She worked on her marriage, she carved out time when her kids needed it, she even made her dad feel comfortable with the power dynamic.

I know she has her flaws, but I love her entire journey. She identifies and works on everything in a meticulous way. First episode in I did not expect to like her, but as time goes on you kind of get where she’s coming from. Her life I doubt was an easy one, and she didn’t want any of her kids going through the same.

Claire in the later seasons is a beloved character, Claire in the earlier seasons is misunderstood. She’s cranky because everything in her life is so uncertain. The minute she develops some sense of security she immediately chills out- well as much as Claire can chill out. The little family she’s built for herself ends up finally seeing her for who she is. Not only that, but the evolution of Claire is so realistic. I don’t think a full 180 would ever be something she did, but she tried to understand and navigate through what she wasn’t agreeable with.

Thats a golden quality.

Claire is the mom I wish I’d had.

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