Watching television with my teen saved our relationship. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but it certainly was a key factor in helping us survive the teenage years and grow closer than ever.
My daughter and I often refer to the year she was 17 as the “year from hell”. We tell stories that are indicative of that year, and thankfully, now we laugh. There was the time Nickelback came on the car radio and she DEMANDED that I change it immediately. I was in heavy traffic at a really bad intersection and was more concerned with navigating the car safely. I explained that as soon as it was safe, I would look for better music. (Sorry Nickelback, she’s just not a fan).
She screamed at me to change the radio station that instant or she would open the door and get out. You know, into all that traffic at a busy intersection, she was going to what? Tuck and roll? Thankfully, my mom was in the car too and madly, started trying to change the radio station to prevent my daughter from doing something incredibly stupid. That story? It’s like the quintessential moment of age 17 for my daughter.
She screamed at me to change the radio station that instant or she would open the door and get out. You know, into all that traffic at a busy intersection, she was going to what? Tuck and roll? Thankfully, my mom was in the car too and madly, started trying to change the radio station to prevent my daughter from doing something incredibly stupid. That story? It’s like the quintessential moment of age 17 for my daughter.
Thank goodness we had Gilmore Girls. It was “our thing”. We watched the episodes together every week.
We laughed, we cried, we yelled at the TV. But best of all, we talked about the episodes. We talked through all of the issues facing Lorelai and Rory and the rest of the residents of Stars Hollow. Together, we would assess their actions and discuss other alternatives. Were they right in the way they had handled that situation? How would we handle it differently? Even if we had been screaming at each other all week long, for that one special, magical hour, we sat together, snuggled up, snacks in hand, and watch Gilmore Girls as mom and daughter. (Of course, it helps that we are kind of the real life Lorelai and Rory. We even named our mother-daughter blog Gagen Girls.)
We still bond over TV shows and movies. While my daughter spent two years living in the UK, we would send each other Facebook messages to discuss the latest events on our favourite shows. It was our way of remaining just as close as ever and it helped keep us from missing each other too much. When Netflix released the Gilmore Girls reunion, we were glued to the television and binge watched the whole thing together. These days, we laugh ourselves silly over Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, reminisce over reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, and freak out just a little bit over Orange is the New Black.
Netflix brings us together. It makes those tough conversations easier. It opens the door without the awkwardness of starting the dialogue on our own. When we can something to laugh about, together, it makes the tough times a little bit easier. When we can find something thought-provoking to talk about, we learn so much more about each other.
A real topic of conversation in many homes right now is the new show 13 Reasons Why. If you’re thinking of watching 13 Reasons Why with your teen and are looking for additional information, here are some resources to help navigate the conversation: 13 Reasons Why Talking Points (created by SAVE.org and the JED Foundation) and the after-show titled 13 Reasons Why: Beyond The Reasons. If you are immediately concerned about a teen in your life, you can find a list of local market resources on this 13 Reasons Why Global Resource Website
Gina says
We watch a few shows together, it’s our special downtime at the end of the day. Right now, we’re finishing up The Office and loving Speechless.