Kitty Forman from That ’70s Show was perhaps one the best sitcom moms; not only was she the total antidote to her disgruntled, war veteran husband Red Forman, but she was also immensely kind and giving. The part-time nurse was also much ahead of her time and worked hard to give her children a stable and happy home. Remember her famous coinage, ‘do crafts, not drugs’?
But even Kitty has had bad days, and there were situations on the show which she could have handled better. Although a huge fan favorite for the whole eight seasons, Kitty has made some poor decisions, especially involving her children.
Felt Bad: When Her Family Forgot Her Birthday
Kitty is the one person who makes sure all the kids are made to feel special on their birthdays, so it was really sad to see that Red and Eric completely missed her birthday. Hyde was the only one who remembered, and Eric and Red only realized the date when they picked up the TV guide.
To make things worse, they didn’t come clean about how they forgot the day, but just bought her some really random gifts from the gas station and pretended like that was their plan all along.
Hated Her: Not A Great Mother To Laurie
Laurie is perhaps the most difficult person to parent and had consistently manipulated and lied to her parents for her own selfish gains. This obviously made Kitty’s job as a mother much more difficult; that being said, Kitty has often been acutely dismissive of Laurie’s potential or her positive aspects.
It was clear that while Eric was Kitty’s top priority, Laurie just wasn’t. In fact, there were several moments throughout the show where she just didn’t do enough to make Laurie feel loved when that would have made a difference, like when Laurie came home from college or when she was going through a career dilemma.
Felt Bad: When Her Family Shamed Her For Her Menopause
It’s not that the Formans didn’t care about Kitty or deliberately made her feel bad. But menopause is a very difficult time for any woman, and it doesn’t help when her family keeps referring to it as ‘the situation.’
Kitty started having hot flashes and mood swings, which took a toll on her relationship with her family; she also started drinking more. Instead of addressing the issue, or trying to understand her pain, Eric and Red constantly tip-toed around the problem, often mocking it.
Hated Her: When She Forced Religion On Her Children
It’s never a great parenting move to force the idea of institutionalized religion upon your children, but Kitty simply wanted her kids to lead a more wholesome, pure life. Since she was religious herself, she believed that going to church on Sundays and having a good relationship with the pastor was a good way to keep her kids on track.
And while she was simply doing it in the best interest of her children, she never did have a conversation with them about the idea of religion, which is a little odd considering she was always open to communication.
Felt Bad: When She Went Through Empty Nest Syndrome
Kitty was deeply affected by the idea of Eric leaving home. She had never really come to terms with the fact that Eric was venturing into adulthood and also had a serious relationship. So when Eric announced that he wants to get married and move to Madison with Donna before college, Kitty was traumatized.
It became very clear that she was not dealing well with being an empty nester, and Red wasn’t much help since he wanted all the children out of his house and also never talked to Kitty about how she felt.
Hated Her: When She Made Hyde Go Back To His Deadbeat Dad
It was very obvious that Hyde’s father was not interested in having a relationship with his son, since he never even got in touch with him, in spite of being in town for weeks. Kitty maintained that Hyde should get to know his father. But Hyde knew his father was a recovering alcoholic and had no interest in being a parent.
It’s surprising that in spite of knowing that Hyde is uncomfortable with the idea, Kitty would want him to live with his father. Especially since Kitty has always wanted a good home for Hyde, and clearly, his father was a bad parent.
Felt Bad: When Eric Took Her For Granted
In That ’70s Show, Eric shared a great relationship with his mother, but there have been several occasions where he simply didn’t appreciate her hard work or the lengths she had gone just to make him happy. Fans have often pointed out that Eric should have been grateful for his stable family, considering how most of his friends came from dysfunctional families.
He took Kitty for granted too often. Like when Kitty’s sister came to visit them, and instead of sticking up for his mum, who was already insecure, Eric would not stop talking about how amazing his aunt’s life is, as compared to his mum, who’s just a small-town nurse.
Hated Her: When She Played Mind Games With Eric To Stop Him For Getting Married
Eric’s decision to marry Donna while they were still in high school was a shocking one, and not very realistic. But instead of talking it through with Eric or opening up about how she really feels, Kitty went behind Eric’s back. She conspired with Red to make Eric reconsider getting married at all.
Kitty was doubly anxious as this also meant that Eric would move away, and while this was overwhelming for Kitty, fans did call her out for her manipulative tactics, especially since she is usually the reasonable parent.
Felt Bad: When She Wanted Another Baby, But Red Disagreed
This is also closely tied with her anxieties about being an empty nester; when Kitty realized that Eric would leave home in a few months, she urged Red to consider having another baby. Not only did Red disagree with her, but also didn’t explore the topic further or actually try to understand why she was feeling this way.
Kitty was obviously lonely and having a hard time coping with all the changes in her life. To make things worse, she would soon realize that she was going through menopause, and that would make her life even tougher.
Hate Her: When She Let Misogyny Go Unchecked
Remember when Fez grabbed Kitty’s butt at the supermarket, and after a mild warning, she thanked Fez for ‘the compliment’? This was alarming and shocked fans, because not only did Kitty let the teens get away with this behavior, but also implied that harassment has something to do with flirting.
There have also been other instances of misogyny, especially amid Eric’s friend circle, which Kitty never called out. Moreover, she would often blame Donna for Eric’s decisions, which was unreasonable.
