Are you still watching Parenthood on NBC?
I am, but not necessarily by choice. My husband is a big fan of the show, and he really enjoys watching it together.
I agree with him that it’s well done, fairly realistic, and they do touch on a lot of hot family topics. I have absolutely no problem with the acting or story line – all in all it’s good television.
But this is not a show that I can just “watch” – it elicits deep thoughts and constant processing and it causes me to yell comments or “coach” the characters….I plead for different choices and feel pained at certain outcomes.
It’s exhausting, and it’s so hard to coach people on television because:
a.) they can’t hear you.
and
b.) they aren’t real.
To help my salesman husband understand my predicament, I recently offered this scenario…..
Imagine that you wake up and immediately start selling (maybe you were even up in the middle of the night selling), then you spend part of the day writing about selling, then talk on the phone about selling, talk to groups about selling, and then spend the afternoon and evening doing the most important selling. Then when it’s finally time to relax and let the day go, I suggest we watch a show about selling.
This is not a complaint about my job – I adore what I do. Parenting my daughters and helping others parent is my soul work.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t need a break. And it’s the best explanation to why I still watch old episodes of Friends at night…..it’s predictable and consistent and I have absolutely nothing to learn or teach; it’s much needed respite from my constant processing.
So I explain this to my husband, and of course he listens and empathizes…..but then comes back with an offer to rub my feet during the show if I agree to continue watching.
So Bravermans……I guess I will be seeing you on Tuesday night. My hope is that my massage will cause a deep sense of relaxation and an ability to stay quiet and keep my comments to myself.
But I wouldn’t bet on it.
