The characters on Friends could often make mistakes but they could also be loving and wise parents. Here are the best parenting moments from the show.
Over the course of 10 seasons of Friends, viewers get to watch them grow from being directionless 20-somethings to married adults with children of their own.
The main characters weren't the only ones learning to parent, there were also several storylines with the parental figures of the core six, and how their relationships matured and evolved as they became grown-ups. Sometimes parents and their kids didn't see eye to eye, but there were also plenty of times where the love between parent and child was pure, strong, and wholesome.
In Season 1, Joey discovers that his father is cheating on his mother and heartbreakingly breaks the news to her.
His mom reveals that she already knows about her husband's affair, and she has learned to accept the infidelity. She turns the moment around on her son by comforting him and letting him know that everything is and will be okay between his parents.
Phoebe gives the ultimate gift by carrying and delivering her half-brother Frank's triplets in Season 4.
To show their appreciation, Frank Jr. and his wife Alice allow Phoebe to pick out the name of one of their kids. She initially struggles with the choice but settles on the name Chandler, who ends up being the second girl in the trio.
Rachel's close relationship with her divorced parents could be difficult to endure sometimes, given that they were both overbearing and couldn't stand to be in the same room with one another.
However, Rachel's dad always knew that his daughter deserved the best. He was hyper-critical of her relationship with Ross, both in Season 3 and when she was pregnant with his child in Season 8. Her dad always looked out for her, especially over dinner awkward dinners with Ross.
In Season 3, Ross's son Ben was playing with a Barbie doll, something that bothered Ross deeply.
He thought his son was going to grow up being more feminine because of the toys he played with, which apparently was not okay with him. Ben's mothers, Carol and Susan, had to explain that toys weren't going to feminize their son, and even if he did grow up to be girly, it shouldn't matter. Carol and Susan were the more loving and accepting of Ben's parents, and had to teach Ross to shed his toxic masculinity.
Following the flood in the Geller's garage that destroyed most of Monica's childhood belongings, her dad felt so bad that he gave her the keys to his Porsche.
This was a touching moment given that for most of the series Monica is the less favored sibling, and often lives in the shadow of her older brother, Ross.
In Season 3, Phoebe discovers that her birth mother is not the deceased woman who raised her, but instead a nice lady named Phoebe who shares a lot of similarities with her.
When young Phoebe explains to older Phoebe that she is considering being a surrogate for her brother, her mom gives her a puppy and promptly takes it away so she can experience what it is going to be like to give up the child she carries. It's a sweet lesson and one that Phoebe eventually learns to accept as she goes through with the pregnancy anyway.
Ross discovers that the only way to make his infant daughter Emma laugh is by singing, 'Baby Got Back' by Sir Mix-a-Lot to her.
Rachel is initially horrified by this but is so in love with Emma's smile and the sound of her laughter that she eventually partakes in the performance. It's an adorable moment and will be a story to embarrass their daughter with as she grows up.
In the series finale, the birth mother giving her child up for adoption goes into labor, making Monica and Chandler's dreams of becoming parents finally come true.
However, they're surprised to find out that Erica is actually pregnant with two babies instead of one. Once the twins are delivered safely, the Bings inform Erica that they decided to name their daughter after her, and their son after Monica's dad, Jack.
Phoebe grows up without ever knowing her biological father and later lives with her grandmother following the death of her mother.
Her grandma doesn't want Phoebe to know that her dad up and left her, so she instead makes up stories about who he really is, going as far as to say stock photos of strangers and Albert Einstein are him. Phoebe eventually learns the truth, but it is sweet that her grandma would do anything to shield Phoebe from heartache associated with a dad who ran away.
At Emma's first birthday party, Ross interviews each of his friends and family members and asks them to send a message to 18-year-old Emma as a keepsake.
It's a great gift idea, and as Jack and Judy realize that they may not be alive in the far future, it makes the video all the more special. Ross and Rachel want to document how loved and cared for Emma is, and they do just that by capturing the events of her very first birthday.
