“You take the good, you take the bad; you take ‘em both and there you have the facts of life (bum bah dah dah dum) the facts of life.”  You’ll be hard pressed to find any true female child of the 80s or 90s who didn’t look forward to hearing that theme song every week.  What sort of trouble would Jo, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie get themselves into and what would Mrs. Garrett teach us/them this week? sigh  Nostalgia.

The Facts of Life was a spin-off of the much-loved Diff’rent Strokes sitcom.  It began with the cross-over character, Mrs. Garrett (played by the late, great Charlotte Rae), being housemother for one of the dormitories of an all-girls boarding school.  That first season isn’t typically as well remembered as season two when Mrs. Garrett is promoted to school dietician, which is what the remainder of the series would work around.  Charlotte was a wonderful and well-loved woman, but she did have a few differences from her character; one being that she would smoke during breaks on set, which was not at all a “Mrs. Garrett” thing to do.  She recalled in a panel interview that her young cast-mates were not too keen on her smoking, and would walk over to her and remove the cigarette from her mouth!  haha  She eventually took their hint.  

Jo Polniaczek (played by Nancy McKeon) is my favorite character.  I wanted to be her when I was a kid… heck, I turned 35 last week and I’d STILL like to be her!  She came riding in from the Bronx on her motorcycle at the beginning of season 2, and her bad influence got her and the 3 other main characters into a heap of trouble in that first episode.  They stole a van, went to jail, and served penance by working in (and living above) the dining hall with Mrs. Garrett.  Nancy McKeon has the most amazing smile, and she made Jo such a dynamic character.  The series casting director, Eve Brandstein, said that Jo is “a tough girl, yet could break your heart.”  She stands up for the little guy, she’s the best mechanic around, street-smart, willing to fight for those she loves… total Boss.  Yet, underneath it all, she has a huge heart.

Blair Warner is Jo’s best frienemy.  The Jo/Blair relationship is one of the best ever written.  Blair (played by Lisa Whelchel) is rich and snobbish from upscale New York City.  Blair was originally set to be “a naive, fast-talking, girl from Texas,” but Lisa delivered a line in such a way during her audition that changed the character into how we know her today.  The contrast of Jo’s upbringing and personality to that of Blair provided tons of hilarious and heartwarming material for the series writers.  The cast says that Lisa has a polar opposite personality from Blair.  I have had the pleasure and privilege of speaking at-length with Lisa on a few occasions, so I can personally confirm that.  Lisa is definitely not snobby, nor self-absorbed.  She is an amazing and truly remarkable lady.

Dorothy Ramsey (better known as Tootie, played by Kim Fields) got around on roller skates the first season in order to try and disguise her being much younger and shorter than the rest of the cast.  Kim already had some good acting experience under her, and was naturally funny, so she was a great casting choice.  Tootie was an aspiring actress, and her best friend in the series is the hilarious Natalie Green (played by Mindy Cohn), an aspiring journalist.  Mindy Cohn was actually a real-life student at a boarding school the production team went to check out for research, in order to display authenticity for the show.  Charlotte Rae said in a panel interview that enjoyed talking to Mindy, and asked her several questions just to hear her “sweet little voice” that became a Natalie trademark.  Charlotte is the one who requested a part be written specifically for Mindy, and we are all incredibly thankful for that!

In a panel interview, Mindy Cohn said that one of the things she can really see from the way fans react to the show (even all these years later) is that it taught young girls how to be good friends with each other.  None of the cast realized at the time just how far this show would reach.  The way the four main girls interact with each other, and the best friend pairs of Jo/Blair and Natalie/Tootie were extremely well written to display their genuine and unapologetic love and affection for each other (no matter what drama may enter the episode), how to resolve conflicts, how to approach sensitive subjects, and how to simply enjoy the company of others while feeling free to just be yourself.  I think we’re missing a lot of that these days.  People are generally afraid to show too much affection for fear of being looked at strangely or giving off an unintended vibe, afraid to deal with conflict or talk about things that may be difficult, and afraid to just simply be themselves and enjoy the people around them.  What a shame!  Your friends are the people you choose to be an active part of your life… why should you fear strange looks, off vibes, open and honest civil discussions, and being yourself?  After all, Romans 12:10 tells us to “love each other with genuine affection” (some translations say, “with brotherly love”).  Your true friends are the ones you should definitely feel comfortable being with and sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy,” so even if your friends telling you the truth and wanting to help you is difficult to hear or painful in some way, that is far better than being coddled by people who just want to please you and don’t have your best interest at heart.  You and your friends may not always agree on everything, and you may even find yourselves really upset with each other on occasion; but remember that “a friend loves at all times” or another translation says “a friend is always loyal” (Proverbs 17:17).  Jesus tells us to love each other the way He loves us (John 15:12), and the apostle Peter encourages us to “…show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Our four main Facts of Life girls, and even Mrs. Garrett herself, often had to use their deep love for each other to offer forgiveness.  Which character are you most like?  Which character(s) best match the people in your life?  Do you ever find yourself having sitcom events happen with them that you wish would be neatly wrapped up in a half hour span?  Do you ever wish you could feel open enough to truly share your heart?  Pray for the Lord to send people your way who will be true friends to you, and that when you recognize who those people are, you can feel at ease enough to just be yourself.

I learned a long time ago at youth camp that people should have 8-10 loving touches a day.  We all hugged each other afterward and would say out loud which number that person’s hug was and smile.  So go and give a hug, handshake, pat on the shoulder, etc. without fear (if you’re not a touch person, do whatever else it may be that you do to show love).  Speak your heart and mind in confidence that even if you are met with disagreement or correction, you are loved and supported.  Be yourself, allow others to also be themselves, and “encourage each other and build each other up” (1 Thes. 5:11), being a good role model for those around you like our TV friends from childhood.  Who knows what kind of legacy you may leave behind without even knowing it.