We don’t watch TV around here, thanks to T, who at age 2 became a little OCD about the screen. Neither of the older two had shown much interest in it, other than Bill Nye the Science Guy and Magic School Bus, but for some reason, maybe I had gotten a little lax, maybe they were watching more than they used to, I don’t know, but right before we moved to where we live now, I had a diapered toddler who was going up to the TV all day, slapping at it and screaming and trying to convince me to turn it on and he was a persistent little character, so the yes TV/no TV wrangling got pretty intense. When we moved into our new place, I decided not to unpack the TV, thinking that with the distractions of a new house, he wouldn’t even ask for it. I was right, and our TV-free family was born.
For the last 8 years, we haven’t watched TV at all. We have a TV, but it just gets used for movies and for when all the teenaged boys descend here on the weekends with their Guitar Hero and Rock Band paraphenalia, which I haven’t allowed any of the kids to own, but haven’t been strict enough to ban from the premises.
This is all to preface the fact that our newest family togetherness activity involves a TV show (that we watch on my computer).
The Gilmore Girls.
It’s a show about a single mom and her teenage daughter and it’s altogether unrealistic in it’s witty feel-good cleverness. Major problems don’t exist, the characters only have endearing flaws and every issue is sorted out within three episodes.
Still, for some reason, we love it. All of us, including the now 10-year old T, who one would not think was of the right age or gender to enjoy a show that deals mainly with relationship issues. And interestingly, it’s become something of a vehicle for discussions about relationships. It’s easier and safer to talk about stuff like that when it’s in the form of fictional characters, and we have the show as a common language.
Here’s a video that someone put together with scenes from the show. It makes me cry. I guess I’m feeling a little sentimental about being a mother, and the kids growing up, and what it all means.
Be warned, it’s on the sappy side. Best watched when you have been away from your kids for five days.
(try to ignore the bits about the daughter being the mother’s salvation, which, if you know anything at all about enmeshed relationships and projection and narcissism is patently disturbing.)
Actually, now that I’ve re-watched this in the cold, hard, light of day, I’m realizing that it’s cringe-worthy in it’s sappiness. It moved me to tears when I watched it yesterday. Yikes. God’s Gift to me? A bit much for my athiest sensibilities. What was it that had me weeping? I think it was the bit about being a hero to my daughter, and the hope and possibility for my childrens’ lives.
lly
