Stupid Shows Make Way for Smart Decisions

This is one of those posts that falls very well under the "Confessions" part of my blog title. 

It's, once again, about the choices I'm making in regards to my teen daughter. We've begun a bit of a bonding time in the evening when I'm folding laundry and she's done facebooking. We snuggle up in our  spots in front of the hypnotizer and play our favorite recorded shows off our glorious DVR (God, I love that technology).

A few of the reality shows we've latched on to are "World's Strictest Parents" and yes, we've lately fallen prey to "Teen Mom".

World's Strictest Parents is a show that I believe all parents should make their teen watch, even if you have to tie them to a chair screaming. Luckily, I didn't have to, because it was found to be entertaining enough for her to get hooked. Simply put, that show has a great way showing how foolish some teen behavior can look when they are looking from the outside-in.

However, getting hooked on "Teen Mom" was a complete shocker for me, especially since I'm still trying to look back at the exact moment I even allowed my eyes to glance at it longer than to hit the mute and hastily change the channel. Yet, somehow I ended up getting sucked in to the same train-wreck-oblivion that had me once watching "Rock of Love".

When I first saw Teen Mom being aired, I was literally sneering at the t.v. in disbelief figuring the creators and producers must not have children to raise if they were coming up with something like THAT. All I could imagine was it glorifying teen pregnancy, or even simply just bringing attention to something my 'baby' shouldn't even be aware exists in the world. I mean, just a few years ago, she still believed that you had to be married to be able to make babies. Ugh. Now she's supposed to get the idea that not only do you not have to be married, but you can even be a baby yourself!


Nevertheless, I have to admit, I kinda like that show. Don't get me wrong, it is still a train wreck. Yet, that's the great thing about it that makes me actually want my daughter to watch it. It very candidly shows just how freakin hard it is to raise a baby when you don't have the means, and how much you have to sacrifice of yourself to be a good parent. Of course, it also portrays very well exactly how ill-equipped the average teen male is at even attempting to be a father (unless he's a rare breed named Tyler).

Just goes to show, just as all the best quotes out there mention regarding a healthy perspective on life, it's life's mistakes that we learn and grow from. In this regard, I hope my 'baby' girl learns from those types of mistakes by watching other people make them. Gulp.