Good Christian WHAT?!

I have a confession to make. I am newly addicted to a show. It's called GCB...Good Christian Bi*ches. I know, it's wrong. I feel ashamed. But that sh*t is funny! (Sorry, just thought I would throw another curse in there for good measure!)

I was appalled when I first saw the adds for this show, and even more appalled when I found out what GCB stood for. But, in a moment of procrastination on Monday, I watched the pilot. By Wednesday I'd finished episode 6. This show is laugh out loud funny. The last show to do that to me was Modern Family.

Do you think less of me because I watch this show? If you do, I dare you to watch it for yourself. If you don't laugh, well...we can't be friends anymore. After all, that's what the GCBs would say ;)

via

Glee

I have watched Glee from season one but, admittedly, there have been many times when I really don't like it. In the past I've felt that it has pushed the boundaries and stepped over the line in a variety of ways. It often is over the top and sometimes inappropriate.

But, the writers hit the nail on the head with the way they addressed some of the issues surrounding homosexuality in high school. If you're not familiar with the show, there is one character, Kurt, who has been "out" since the beginning, though he struggled immensely with it--coming out to his father, bullying, and trying to find other gay boys his age to whom he could relate and maybe even date. Then, a female character came out. And not only did she come out, but she broke the stereotypical lesbian mold. As someone who was called gay in high school because I had short hair in middle school and high school (yes, that actually happened), I am familiar with the stereotype. But Santana is voluptuous, gorgeous and very feminine (and she had a reputation among the boys, if you know what I mean).

Last season a football player, who had bullied Kurt relentlessly, also came out. Again, he broke the stereotype. Well, the most recent episode (or at least the most recent for me on Hulu) focused on David and his being "found out" at his new school. His teammates wrote "fag" on his locker and students were bullying him on Facebook and at school. So David went home and attempted to kill himself. Thankfully, he did not succeed. We later come to find out that David's parents also were not supportive of him as he came out to them.

The show presented the story line truthfully and appropriately--I was really impressed. As much as there have been parts of the show that have irked me, this episode made me appreciate the success it has in relating to our teens. And setting raw emotions to music makes it that much more powerful.

The reality is that teens are bullied every day for their sexuality. We know that to be true, but I don't think we really get it. We, as adults, need to set an example for our children and we need to take name-calling and teasing seriously, because they very quickly become bullying. The sad thing is that bullying is not just present in middle school and high school. It becomes more inconspicuous and dangerous in college, and by the time of adulthood, it is engrained. We also see bullying everywhere, without even knowing it. Talk shows, tabloids, stand-up comedy, politicians...we are eating, sleeping and breathing it, folks.

I don't care who you are or what you believe, where you came from or who you know. There is NEVER an excuse to put someone else down. There is NEVER an excuse to tell someone that who they are isn't good enough. There is NEVER an excuse to judge someone on a scale of your own creation. I don't know where you stand on homosexuality, and I'm not telling you that you have to agree with it. But when it comes to our children who are sweet and vulnerable and looking to us for guidance, we need to protect them, love them, and make sure they always know that they are not alone. That's the only way that we can truly mean it when we tell them that It Gets Better.

Addicted to Parenthood

Yesterday, I finished watching the final episode of the second season of "Parenthood." I started watching the show during it's first season and wasn't sold on it right away, but a few weeks ago I was perusing hulu.com and came across it again. Maybe season 2 was just better than season 1, or maybe I just need a little reinforcement that I am not the only one dealing with tough kids (even though they are not my own!) this summer. Regardless, I really, really, really enjoy watching this show--so much so that I got a little addicted to it and was watching two episodes a day. Unfortunately, that meant that the season was over very quickly.

Here's what I like about the show:
1. The characters are real. Of course they are a bit exaggerated--they have to be for entertainment purposes (the same way you wear extra dark makeup in a play)--but their characteristics and personalities are those of real people.
2. There isn't always a happy ending. These characters, all of them parents, deal with real issues in raising their children. From managing playdates, parenting a child with Autism, talking about sex with a teenage daughter...the process and the outcomes are not always tied up in a pretty bow. The emotions are raw and life does not go according to plan.
3. They demonstrate unconditional love. In a media world where the definition of "love" is often defined as a more fleeting emotion, "Parenthood" is about a family where love is sometimes the only thing that holds them together. In their individual nuclear families and within the extend family, problems arise, people make mistakes, and tragedy strikes. But they always love each other through it and come out on the other side.
4. It's just plain funny. While I've teared up plenty of times watching it, I have also laughed out loud. The characters are unique and interesting, and they have great amusing interactions with each other.

I am becoming more and more intrigued by parenthood in general...probably all this time that I'm spending with four kids of varying ages...and  it's nice to see it being portrayed in such a genuine way on television.