The Brady Bunch. Love it or loathe it, it occupies a space in our national collective consciousness, for good or ill. There have been repeated attempts to reconvene the actors for one-off specials, spin-off series, etc. with varying degrees of success. The most recent try has apparently been stifled by the continuing feud between Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) and Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady).
Though no-one really knows what started this decades-long beef, one of the major elements is Plumb’s contention that McCormick alleges that the two of them shared a lesbian relationship, which Plumb disagrees ever occurred. Outside observers, however, maintain that their bad blood goes back even farther. Whatever the true story is, we’ll likely never know it, and it doesn’t really matter.
Perhaps the two had played at being sisters for so long — the show lasted five seasons, after all — that they began to actually act like sisters toward one another. As those of us who have siblings know, that’s not always an easy road to walk. When you’re essentially forced to be around the same person all the time, it’s common for a little heat to build up now and then. Hopefully, though, you learn to make allowances for each other, and the bonding makes you both stronger. Indeed, many people report that they’re closer to their siblings than to their spouses. But when you, as a parent, see these sorts of flare-ups in your kids, it can be a good time to step in and moderate a bit. Teach your kids that whatever the issue is, it’s temporary, and that being siblings is lifelong. You’ll be in each others’ lives for a long time, and down the road, you’ll be glad you’ve got each others’ backs.
