Happy Mother’s Day From Parade Magazine and Gossip Gal

PARADE Magazine’s special Mother’s Day cover story features some of TV’s favorite moms: Patricia Heaton of The Middle, Martha Plimpton of Raising Hope, Julie Bowen of Modern Family, and Monica Potter of Parenthood. Each talks about her own experiences as a mom or, in Plimpton’s case, as the child of a single mom.

Here are some highlights:

Discussing how things have changed over the years, Plimpton says, “My mom and I used to listen to records, read, and take train rides across the country in the summer. It was a very chill life. She didn’t expose me to anything that was ahead of my development, but she expected me to adjust to her world—she did not adjust to mine.”

Bowen compares her first Mother’s Day as a mom, when her hubby left a diamond ring in their new baby’s crib, tied to a stuffed toy. “Cut to three years later, when my husband took the kids and allowed me to stay asleep on the floor after I’d passed out during playtime. And you know what? I’d take the nap over the diamond any day!”

Heaton admits she offers her TV kids business advice and has “actually come to terms with video-gaming 24/7, because there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Potter, who plays mom to a child with Asperger’s syndrome, recalls a special fan moment: “My kids and I were at the grocery store, and a woman came up to me with her autistic daughter and handed me a receipt that had a beautiful note written on the back. My character’s son has Asperger’s syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum, and her note was thanking me for how that’s portrayed on the show. I choked up, and she and I started hugging each other in the aisle. I keep that receipt with me all the time.”

Click here for some behind-the-scenes video from our photo shoot:

http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2011/05/behind-the-scenes-with-mom-squad.html