Mothers
I think there is quite a variety in how mothers are portrayed in the media. If one analyzes the TV shows Roseanne, Desperate Housewives, etc, one will see the difference.
One of my favorite shows is the OC. I can readily admit - even though I am quite invested in the lives of the characters - that this is SO unrealistic. The mothers are so incredibly good-looking, but they are not mothers! The two main mothers - Julie and Kirsten - are a dishonest, gold-digging cougar who has sex with her daughter's boyfriend and runs a male prostitution ring for her friend group of cougars - also known as the Newport Group - and the other is an alcoholic who cannot deal with her family issues and repeatedly hurts her loving, supportive family.
There is one TV show that - I think - accurately displays what a mother should be portrayed as. 7th Heaven's Annie Camden seems to me the most normal mother portrayed on television. She reminds me - although slightly more matronly - of my mother. She is not ridiculously hot or provocative, but she is pretty, and very desired by her husband. Their relationship is not perfect, but it does seem realistic. Because she is not occupying her time with chasing her daughters boyfriend, she is intuitive and attentive to her children's needs.
Disclaimer: she's not quite normal; she does have 7 children and somehow the family survives on a minister's salary