Before you have kids, or when they are small you have dreams of what you will do together with them as they grow older.
I have to warn all parents now, especially dads though, that, sometimes dreams remain dreams and they wont be fulfilled. Dont get upset over it. Some work out, others will not.
As silly as this small one is, before my girls were old enough I thought about sitting on the couch with them and watching TV serials or TV shows together. On a real comfy couch, actually like the one we have now, together.
When I was under 10 years of age I was envious of a friend whose father sat with him in their living room and watched the Muppet show with him on TV. They had a huge house but the TV room was nice. A play room. The father was very tall and quite hard edged, not soft edged, but still nice. It was nice the couple times I watched the Muppet show with them together.
On the other hand, my best friend across the street, who lived in this pictured house, neither of his parents watched TV with us. His father wasnt home when we used to watch in the afternoon. Too bad. In winter after we had come in from the snow, enough of it, but still not dinner time, great serials were on like Giligans Island and re runs of the original Star Trek. But I guess it didnt matter too much because I just loved watching TV over at his house in their living room. It was so messy and cozy. Dark colors for the winter cold and they had two cats which might come over to you and sit on you while you were watching. Either way if you sat on the couch or just on the floor, it was such a great atmosphere.
I guess my room wasnt accommodating to being comfortable or cozy. But my father was not one to cuddle or sit next to me on the bed. I guess that is why I always recall his watching TV with me as ... as... strange. Not really bonding, he was just there. But I guess I didnt mind. I liked watching TV with someone. The problem was that he would hover in the doorway with his hands behind his back and I might notice that he was there or I might not.
with me. Monty Python s Flying Circus and maybe Benny Hill (on Public Television station). You know because both of those shows, being British, could be more risque than American TV. Especially Monty Python's "the dull life of a city stockbroker" or Benny Hill chasing around women. Then I felt uncomfortable because maybe it wasnt for me, but I loved it. But still embarrassing watching it with your father, or rather MY father.
My father used to watch NHL hockey with me too though. That was fun. He was very quiet and didnt make a peep when we were watching Monty Python, except to laugh, but he would always ask me questions about the hockey shows and the players. I guess I wasnt always nice in my answers, or was curt maybe because I was watching the game and didnt want to be bothered with his questions. I loved hockey on TV and it was on at different days in prime time too so he was still up and would watch it with me. But again, just standing near the doorway with his arms crossed or behind his back. Dad, why didnt you come in and sit down and make some noise? Why wasnt I nicer? But you cant second guess childhood.
So, I was really looking forward to watching TV with my daughter or daughters when the time came along.
You can guess I was extremely saddened when I tried to watch TV with my younger daughter recently. First she said, "get out of my bed." Well, she was watching in her bed on a small telephone or an ipad so I couldnt really stand quietly in the doorway as my father had done. So I tried to watch from her bed. "Get out of my bed".
"Well, I want to watch TV with you"
"No, I dont want to"
Geez, she was just watching "young sheldon" (the take off side show from Big
Bang Theory in which Sheldon is a small smart boy. Nothing harmful in the series.
"No. I want to watch by myself."
I had to slink off.
To be fair, she has watched TV with me on the couch a couple times and it is just what I want it to be. A comfy session sitting with my daughter watching TV. No more, no less. We have watched the Simpsons together. That was fun, except we were watching on youtube so we could never find full episodes to watch together. But the Simpsons I think are for both of us our favorites. I guess that is about it. I watched Young Sheldon once or twice, but she wasnt watching with me. She was sitting on the couch doing something else. Maybe we watched a bit of Big Bang Theory together. But still the best was the Simpsons.
So, I guess I got in enough moments with her just watching TV that it will carry forward in my memory till my old age and beyond. And maybe when she is 40 years old she will remember watching a bit of TV with her old man on the couch. Maybe. I guess the moments together are the nicest and all I can hope for when they happen and should relish. I do.
I am still listening to the Pat Metheny CD I got recently. (pictured there first on the right) "IMAGINERY DAY" It did win a grammy in 1999 (though it was released in 1997)
I have to post it again. Though, not during writing, but during dinner, I was listening to some deep house techno 12" vinyls.
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| Roberto Clementi MOC 018 |
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