3 Reasons Why Young Sheldon's Mary Is in Fact a Wonderful Mom

Although Young Sheldon is a spin-off of the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, famous for its hilariously one-dimensional characters, it is a much more substantial show than the original. As a result, YS' characters are much more complex and nuanced than their TBBT counterparts, which is especially evident in the case of Mary.

Sheldon's mother is kind, strong-willed, and sometimes funny. But she is also flawed, which makes her an even more interesting character. Still, many viewers think she is a terrible mother. And that's unfair, because Mary is actually a good parent. And here are just three reasons why that's true.

Open-Minded

Mary is very religious. So much so that there is no dancing in the Cooper home and no family dinner begins without saying grace first. In this light, it might seem that she must be bigoted and narrow-minded, but that's not the case.

While Mary and Sheldon don't see eye to eye on God and science, she tries to understand her son and his views, accepting their differences rather than trying to reform him. Moreover, despite the yawning gap between them, Mary is never dismissive of her son and his opinions, which makes her a great and wise parent who lets her child be himself.

Caring

Perhaps this should have been the first reason, as Mary is indeed a wonderful caretaker who looks after the entire Cooper family, consisting of George, Meemaw, Georgie and Sheldon. Mary juggles her job at the church and her housework, which includes cleaning the house, feeding the family, and keeping them organized and educated. Most importantly, she does this humbly and doesn't get the credit she deserves.

In other words, if it weren't for Mary, the Cooper household would be in shambles by now, Georgie would have dropped out of school earlier and gotten into trouble with the law, Missy would have become a juvenile delinquent, and Sheldon would have withered in the squalor of a rundown public school in a small Texas town.

Determined

Finally, Mary is a prime example of a mother bear. When it comes to her kids, she will go to great lengths and stop at nothing to help and protect them. For example, Mary had a confrontation with Brenda when Sheldon wasn't invited to Billy's birthday party. And Mary walked out of her church with her head held high when her fellow parishioners turned up their noses at him and his out-of-wedlock baby. Who wouldn't want a mother like that?

And of course, there will be plenty more proof that Mary is a great mom in Season 7. Episode 3 is scheduled to premiere on February 29th.