Get Off My Lawn You Young Whipper Snappers!

My poor parents.
They worked so hard, for almost all of my life to keep me away from television. It was closely monitored and only on for long stretches if we were sick or for the occasional Saturday morning.

What we DID watch was either fun and clean kids' shows: Smurfs, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Gummi Bears m(bouncing here and there and everywhere) or we were schooled in the classics like CHiPS, Emergency Room and Green Acres during the day. And then we had a lot of videos-meticulously categorized by my father. Because if your VHS Tapes are not in order, than your whole LIFE must be in chaos! :)

As we grew up, we were allowed to watch a little more TV in the evenings. We were big fans of Wheel of Fortune, and every Thursday night we watched the Cosby Show and if we were extra good, we could stay up for A Different World. And I love me some Dwayne Wayne.

I remember a little black and white portable TV that Kristy and I would drag from the den into our room. You had to get the rabbit ears just right to get one of the local Los Angeles UHF channels (those are the channels in the high numbers for those of you who haven't ever lived without cable) or, if the ears weren't working you had to actually hold the antenna stub where the original antenna had broken off long ago.

Fast forward 12 years or so and I have my own house, if you can call 600 square feet of space a house, and I am living with my new husband, raised in a similar fashion as I was except he had whole YEARS that went by where there was no TV in the house at all. But as our own persons, grown up married people, we flock to our television. It is on, all the time, and we love it.

When Nathan is born and we bring him home from the hospital, the TV was on for 2 straight weeks as I fed round the clock. I find myself building friendships through mutually viewed television programs alone. And 1 TV show in particular becomes such a hands down favorite that my children will now have to endure my comments for the rest of their lives: "That's a funny show but it isn’t as good as my ‘Friends.’ Remember that one where Monica and Rachel had to switch apartments with Joey and Chandler?” Television has changed my life in a way my parents probably never would have expected.

Growing up, we were family friends with an older couple who had a cool garden in their backyard (watermelons and tomatoes and everything!) Once when we were at their house, the husband was muting the television. I was probably watching it with him, since it was on and the glowing box will almost always make me stop in my tracks, and I could NOT figure out what he was doing! I asked him and he told me he didn’t like listening to the commercials. WHAT?! My 10 or 11 year old brain could NOT figure that out. It was one of those times I remember thinking so very specifically: I will NEVER do that when I am old.

Well, it’s official folks.
I am old.
AND
I am a liar.

See you all at Denny’s tomorrow around 4 for dinner, OK?