Why Parenthood made me quit Parenthood and other reasons why it is the best show on TV

I haven't been a "show" person since the days when I used to tune in to the ongoing sagas of the Smoke Monster on Lost. Even then, I was, admittedly, one of those annoying followers who was "OBSESSED WITH THAT SHOW" but never really knew what was going on (did anyone?).

Until now. And until Parenthood.

I've gotten to know the Bravermans over the last six weeks or so as I've sped through the first 44 episodes on Netflix. While I miss that anticipatory feeling of waiting ALL DAY for 8pm and then gripping your seat like a kid on a roller coaster as you *sush* everyone in the room to hear the words "Next week, on [TV Show]...", I've learned that "binge watching" has what can only be compared to drug-addictive properties that I can't get enough of.

I could go on and on about all the things I love about and have learned from Parenthood. But I think my favorite theme is the value of a consistent lifestyle. Adam Braverman, the show's main protagonist, does not live an extraordinary life. He works a common job and has a common family with common problems. What makes him so likeable is not that he goes on crazy adventures or lives out his dreams, it's that he is loyal, loving, and available to the people in his life. Is this the greatest accomplishment we've all missed in the pursuit of living an interesting and dynamic life?

Jesus thought so: “The most important commandment is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.”

The only way I can think to describe all of the emotions I experience during an episode of Parenthood is like a Jackson Pollock painting: just a bunch of stuff thrown up there all at once.

And then I cry.

I should have known that these reeling Parenthood emotions would one day become too much for their own good and that all of the life lessons would implode on one another. Alas, Parenthood has successfully convinced me to stop watching Parenthood.

For all the thoughtfulness and heart lessons that this show has afforded me, I also realized that my habit has become: get home from work, abandon all necessary and/or beneficial responsibilities, sit and watch Parenthood. And eat. It’s not spiritually healthy. I can convince myself that I'm just "unwinding" or that "I worked all day and deserve this," but a beer, an order of Thai food, and half a bag of chips later, I've "unwound" in a slothful and disobedient way.

(Warning: If you haven't made it to Season 3, Episode 9 yet, there may be spoilers that follow. If you've made it PAST Season 3, Episode 9: DON’T TELL ME ANYTHING.)

Last night I watched as Seth checked himself in to rehab, worked hard to get sober, and then (after getting out of rehab) humbly made the decision to move to a new city, knowing that it was the best decision for the people he loved—even though it's not what he wanted and even though everything he'd ever dreamed of having was right at his fingertips. He just walked away—from his addiction and then from HIS vision for his life so that others could be happy.

And I continued to eat.

This morning I thought about these Bible verses:

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4)

“And if your hand--even your stronger hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” (Matthew 5:30)

If we live our lives according to Scripture, we are required to take extreme measures to avoid sin and temptation. God knows that sin is not a light matter. Jesus has already paid the price for it, but sin still separates us from God, and that’s why He takes it so seriously.

I've heard about and seen many people check themselves in to rehab or make an appointment with a counselor, but for some reason, when Seth walked away, I knew that I need to start walking away too.

What situations do I put myself in that make me vulnerable to sin? What measures am I taking to ensure that I don't go anywhere near sin? I know that watching Parenthood (or any TV show, or surfing social media) at night will lead to gluttony and apathy, and so I must quit.

“But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (Romans 8:17)

Sometimes I think about suffering for Christ. I think about that oldest pastor line in the book: "If you're not suffering because of your faith, you're probably doing something wrong." And you're sitting in your chair or pew looking up at the guy thinking, "Man, I can't remember the last time I was spat on or made fun of because of Jesus or stoned because I follow Him...do people even still do that?"

In Jesus' time, suffering for Him oftentimes meant public ridicule and physical persecution. In some parts of the world, that's still the case. But in America, where it's "trendy" to be #blessed and cool to wear a cross on your Urban Outitters crew neck, suffering for Christ might look more like not watching Parenthood because you know it will lead you to temptation and far from Him.

Have I become a soft, undisciplined Christian who wants to have her cake and eat it too?  Who wants to follow Christ and give up as little as possible?

I think there are some wonderfully redeeming themes in Parenthood, and, really, I sort of have to find out if Drew ever outgrows his painful awkwardness, if Crosby ever FINALLY puts a ring on it, and if Haddie ever grows out her curly bangs.  So, in the interest of full disclosure, I will probably keep watching Parenthood. But I will do so only in the light of day, where I am free from temptation:


For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8)