Television

I have a love/hate relationship with TV.  I don't want to watch television, but I do.  I don't want to get excited about certain shows, but I do.  I don't want it to be something I schedule certain evenings around, but I do.  Grrrr!  I don't WANT to like tv...but I DO!  This is actually something that really bothers me.  I grew up without a television...and I kind of liked it that way.  My parents tell me that my sister and I didn't know what to ask for for Christmas because we weren't aware of all the newest and coolest toys.  I didn't know what I was missing, and honestly, it really wasn't much!  I wrote a long research paper in high school about the negative effects that television can have on children and my teacher was so fascinated by some of the things I found in my research that he passed the paper around to some other teachers in the school.  He and two or three other teachers all got rid of their television sets after that!  Scott and I are probably not going to get cable when we move into our new house, and honestly, I'm kind of excited about it.  If it's not available it will be much easier to avoid.  (And it doesn't hurt that I can watch most of my favorite shows online the next day if I still want to keep up with what's going on in the world of pop culture).  I don't want Camden and Micah to grow up glued to the television.  We limit how much and what we watch in the house with Camden, but he already LOVES to watch an occasional show.  He'll wake up from a nap and immediately ask to "watch show" and when I say no I then have to deal with a mini-tantrum...it would be so much more enjoyable if it wasn't an automatic desire for him.  BUT, (and there is a big but here), I do love the option of television when I'm just having one of those days and I need a little time to breath on my own.

And I do love my guilty pleasures of which I have quite a few.  Confession: I love reality shows.  Not The Hills or Real Housewives of New York or Jersey Shore (Is that a reality show?  I've never seen it).  Not that type of reality show.  I love Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelor/ette and American Idol type of reality shows.  I will forever be fascinated by how dedicated and committed the actors, musicians, comedians, athletes are to learning how to dance on Dancing with the Stars.  It is so impressive to me how these people put their careers on hold (*I know they are making major money being on the show, but their not usually doing their "normal" job at the same time*) and put so many hours into learning and practicing dance.  They get so emotionally and physically spent and it is fun to see how they improve and struggle through the season.  One thing I like about The Bachelor/ette and American Idol is that the people on these shows really are real people.  Now some of them are total wack-jobs there to try and get their fifteen minutes of fame, but others are just normal, everyday people who wind up being household names.  I mean, you have to admit it's pretty cool that Carrie Underwood was a young girl from a tiny town and is now a best-selling Grammy-winning artist.  I find it fascinating to hear the backgrounds of certain people, to hear their stories and to wonder how I would handle certain situations if I found myself facing those same things.

Two current stories have just broken my heart.  This guy just auditioned for Idol last night and has a heartbreaking story.  But he's so inspiring, so devoted, and it makes me happy to see people like this on television.

And this woman is currently on The Bachelor - what a story she has...

I like stories like these...I want to root for these people.  I want them to find happiness and success...and I don't want to give up my TV.  We'll see what happens when we move, but for now, I have to run, American Idol is on.  Seriously.