Linda Belcher is undoubtedly a terrible, fun, loving, and irresponsible parent. Bob Belcher, the objectively better parent, has mentioned to his wife that she undoes some of his discipline with her joie de vivre brand of parenting. What Linda lacks in discipline, she makes up for in free-spiritedness.
Linda lets her kids be free to be who they are and encourages them in their shenanigans, much to Bob's annoyance. The Belcher kids might not excel academically, but they are well-rounded, emotionally independent children with high self-esteem. Their mother's unconditional love is a source of strength for them, while her love of life gives them the encouragement to live their own lives to the fullest.
Cheat Your Way Through School And Life
The Belcher kids are not well-regarded for their academic achievements at Wagstaff School. This is partly because of Linda, who has a lackadaisical attitude towards education herself. When Tina does not read the book The Call Of The Wild on time for her book report, Linda scoffs at her daughter's panic attack. Reading a book is for losers, she advises Tina. Rather, she teaches Tina how to bluff her way through a report by putting on a theatrical show and reading the book's blurb.
Linda is shocked when she realizes that Louise has picked up this attitude of manipulating her way through life, but still encourages the same attitude in her more reasonable daughter, Tina.
It's Okay To Like Committing Crime
Linda and her daughter, Louise, should not be left alone together without Bob's supervision. The two egg each other on into bad, immoral, and even criminal behavior. When Linda acquires Louise's help to steal her husband's pride and joy, his new coffee maker, Louise tells Linda that she knew her mother would like crime. Linda wholeheartedly agrees. Eventually, Linda and Louise become co-conspirators as they try to hide the truth of their criminal activity from a concerned Bob. Much of Louise's curricular and extra-curricular activities revolve around crime, so it is safe to say that Linda has led by a bad example.
Read Your Erotic Friend Fiction To The Entire School
In an episode that introduces Tina's rival and nemesis, Tammy, Tammy finds Tina's extensive collection of erotic fan fiction and erotic friend fiction. Tammy steals the one about Jimmy Jr., and threatens to read it in front of the whole school to punish Tina for not showing up at the park with some wine mix that would have made Tammy look cool. Upon finding out, Linda comforts a distraught Tina and encourages Tina to take her power back by reading her erotic friend fiction in front of the whole school, promising that J-Ju would enjoy it.
It almost turns into a disaster until Tammy farts a smelly and loud fart, and calls attention unto herself. In a score for Linda, Jimmy Jr. shows appreciation for the erotic art.
Buy People's Love
In earlier seasons, Louise and Linda did not get along. A flashback revealed that Louise had always preferred Bob over her mother, and would argue with, and frustrate her mother even as a baby. Jealous of Louise's love for Bob, Linda tried to force Louise to go to a mother-daughter bonding seminar. For Louise, who takes pride in how well she hides her love for her family, this is torture. Linda has to bribe her daughter with money to go in, and then bribe Louise later on to participate in the activities.
Although Louise hates her time there, she soon learns to see her mother's side and to show her mother the same love she gives to Bob.
Fight Crazy With Crazy
An angry Louise is often a cause of chaos for the Belcher family. When Louise runs away from the dentist, and from home she ends up at Gayle's apartment, having nowhere else to go after her self-made credit card is declined at a hotel.
Linda cautions Bob that one has to fight crazy with crazy. Since Louise refuses to come home, Linda will use Gayle's own craziness against Louise's craziness, until Louise breaks. In a surprising twist, Gayle uses her craziness for good to help Louise deal with her fears, thereby out-parenting Linda and Bob. In the family, Gayle, Linda, and Louise are the trifecta of craziness.
Tell People If Their Life Is A Lie
In a move away from the Belcher kids' home life, Linda, Bob, and Teddy are at the restaurant while the kids are away when a young girl walks in offering to sell magazines to send her to camp. Ever the skeptic, Bob whispers to Linda and Teddy that it is a scam to make money for the magazine company. Feeling sorry for the girl, Linda offers her a free burger, condescendingly whispering to the confused child. With her characteristic lack of tact, she slips out that Sally's life is a lie, before telling her the truth about the magazines. This, of course, breaks Sally's heart.
Once Sally leaves, she hypocritically reflects on the poor, poor girl, before panicking that Sally stole her purse!
Lie To Your Family Members
A criminal mastermind must be a great liar to pull off their extensive crime capers. One such wonderful liar is Louise Belcher, who is great at lying to her parents, teachers, and siblings. As soon as Bob is away, the kids take the opportunity to experiment with freezing farts using Bob's freezer. This leads to the accidental creation of a mini-skating ring, and a gladiator-style ice-pushing contest. Thinking they have been busted by Linda, Louise is relieved when Linda warns her kids not to tell Bob.
Without Bob around, there is no-one to dissuade Linda from joining her daughter in singing her "Everybody kiss my butt!" victory/gloating song.
Don't Hold On To Things
Bob keeps secrets from Linda, because she is "terrible at keeping secrets" and "just blurts everything out." Immediately after Bob says this, Linda makes up her diarrhea song, which Gene samples to make another club classic.
In a different episode, Linda advises Gene that he should never hold his poops in. Instead, he should let them go free, where they can go down the toilet, and live together with their other poop family, and be happy. Linda's lack of shame regarding her BMs has led to her kids having the same laissez-faire attitude towards what others would consider too shameful to speak about in polite society.
It's Okay To Insult Your Father
Unfortunately for Bob, Linda does not stop her children when they make fun of him. In fact, she often encourages them, which leaves Bob ever more frustrated, and alone in fighting off the kids' insults. Sometimes, Linda even joins in with her kids' nonsense, telling Bob that he looks like he had a traumatic childhood.
Similarly, when Gene finds a picture of a young Bob, he is saddened, asking, "What's the point of clinging on to this, if I am doomed to look like [dad]?" Linda advises that Gene is right, and it is best he just give up on his looks if he would end up looking like Bob.
Mommy Will Always Save You
Another reason for the Belcher kid's bad grades at school is because Tina, Louise, and Gene know that Linda can always be manipulated into doing their homework and school projects for them. Bob admonishes Linda countless times about doing her children's homework, and not allowing them to actually learn, but Linda is blinded by her love for her kids to see that she is being manipulated by them.
Linda's overprotectiveness and sometimes overbearing love increasingly becomes a problem for Gene who, in later seasons, has trouble separating from his mother.