what's on?

So yesterday was a long day. As it was coming to a close, my wife Rachel left to play volleyball and I was on the couch reading "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?" A truly inspiring read with a surprise twist at the end. My personal ball of pure unmitigated energy four-year-old son was on my right, falling asleep and crying at the same time - which is truly one of life's great mysteries to witness. As he began to give up the fight and succumb to sleep, his four-month-old sister decided it was now upon her shoulders to carry the vaunted sleep/cry performance to completion. As Reid fell asleep on my shoulder, I managed to use my left foot to rock Jaelynn, sitting in her bouncy seat (when do they create an adult model for these things?) to join her brother in the land of dreams.

With the day nearly over and two sleeping kids, Rachel returned and we tuned in to a show we rarely miss. NBC's "Parenthood." Parenthood is a one hour, weekly program that airs on Tuesday nights. It's all about the Braverman family and the drama/challenges/joy/pain/comedy that is...family. What truly makes any on-screen production gold is the viewer's ability to identify with what is taking place before their eyes. This is Parenthood's forte. My younger sister recently identified me as Adam Braverman (the oldest brother). It came a compliment to me as I had made that connection from the beginning. The redeeming value that Parenthood champions is the redeeming value we all connect with at some level - our family. After last night's episode, Rachel and I talked about how Adam and his wife Christina handled their daughter dating someone that was more mature than she. It was a good conversation for a couple of people who will most likely be having the same conversation "for reals" in the future. This is not the Waltons or the Bradys...Like anything, we as followers of Jesus need to sift through what's presented and hold to that which is redeeming. Parenthood is not perfect by any means, but the conversation it started was special - so there's that.

What shows do you make time for? Are there any programs you'd like me to write about here at culchur? Let me know in the comments below. I seriously want an adult-sized bouncy seat