Friday, July 12, 2013

Watching Parenthood

I am a TV watcher. It isn't really that I sit and get so engrossed in the show or a movie. It is something to have in the background while I do five other things. Watching TV in 2013 is a gazillion times different than when I was 10 years old with only 3 stations to turn the knob to watch. With hundreds of cable channels and infinite more options on Netflix and DVDs, I am falling way behind on my TV watching.

There are a lot of shows out there. Some good and a lot more bad.
Then there are some shows I wonder why I continue to watch.
Take Parenthood. I started watching this when it first aired in 2010.  I remember liking it but after the first season I stopped. I thought I could get parenting tips from the show but surprisingly, there really were not many learning opportunities. I started back up watching it and the dialogue in some episodes, made me want to tear my eardrums out. When the parents and kids were talking over each other and screaming, I could not stand it. I literally wanted to scream at my 2 inch iPhone screen. I kept thinking to myself, this is the last episode for me. Part of it was I got flashbacks from my childhood. Part of it was my insane fear that when my kids are older, that will be us. I don't want my kids to not listen to me. I don't want my kids to be afraid to talk to me. I don't want my kids to grow up like a rotten drug addict or end up in jail.

I want my kids to listen to positive advice, to make good, sound judgements, to be independent. I want them to be loving, caring and compassionate and to just be good people.

But I know we don't always get what we want.

So I am watching season 2 and thinking I cannot watch anymore. These kids on the show are giving me undue stress. But when I get to episode 22, Hard Times Come Again, I realize I am going to watch this to the end. Because this is good parenting advice.


Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham)
"No, you don't give them space. Just when they tell you they don't need you anymore is exactly when they need you the most. You have to fight it. You have to show up. It's when they're pushing you away, it's when they're telling you they know better, that's when you have to show up."

Yep, that's good stuff.

1 comments:

shanhop said...

Season 4 is going to break your heart. So many episodes ended with me in tears.