I think Tim Allen is the most frustrating man in television. In reality, he is a shrewd businessman, cleverly intelligent, and by all accounts a good husband and father. Why is it he plays a complete idiot on television?
Reality shows are another grain of sand in my oyster shell. Why is Rob Kardashian famous? I know it isn’t for his dancing. Rob is a prime example of a man that is either very poorly portrayed by the media, or really is a shining example of what a role model does NOT look like.
Here is a clip of Rob Kardashian in regular form, what message is this sending?
Back to Tim for a minute. I am most displeased with sitcom’s that portray men as blubbering idiots, cheating bastards or general nincompoops. I am not a terribly worldly man. I’ve only seen about half of the United States in person (not counting layovers when I didn’t exit the plane or airport) and I’ve only been to Mexico once, but I am pretty sure none of these 3 scenario’s depict anything near what I want my daughter to marry.
Here is a scene from Tim’s new show, is this helping today’s young men become responsible and respectable citizens?
How many times per week do we see a police show depicting a man doing something dastardly to their wives (or to other women)? Why are we surprised to see these types of behaviors re-enacted by men in our society when they see men on television getting away with heinous behavior?
Why is it so hard for the media to portray men in a positive light?
Why do reality shows rule the airwaves depicting men that no father wants anywhere near their daughters? How are young men going to learn how to be real men? Men that own their responsibilities, know how to treat a lady, and most importantly men that know how to raise responsible and respectable children?
What happened to Steven Douglas and Mike Brady? These men took care of their families, worked for what they believed in, and got it all done in 30 minutes. They were the role models of yesterday’s youth. Those youth are today’s parents. What will happen to this generation of children and teens with Tim and Rob as the role models in the media?
People tell you that parenthood is a crazy thing; that life as you know it will completely change; that from sunrise to sunset you are no longer in control. Although I felt I was as ready as one could be, especially with my extensive 31 years of preparation for this moment, I didn’t really know that every single aspect of my existence would be controlled by a 7-pound, chubby-cheeked insomniac. Granted, I do love my baby Olivia even more than a pistachio covered chocolate profiterole next to a succulent Crepe Suzette; that may be the reason either one of us is still in that house. But there’s absolutely no college course, no interplanetary internship or even heavenly visitation that could truly prepare you for the change.
It’s like carefully planning to be broad sided.
Just not very effective.
So much has changed overnight in my perspective, actions, priorities and even lifestyle. For example, my paradoxical appreciation and complete disgust for diapers has increased one hundred fold. I could even write a complete novel about my love-hate relationship with that plastic based miracle. I love its endurance and almost certain reliability. But the contents of the package are continually evolving into more than what I would ever want to handle.
Some of you may say: “Oh, just wait until she’s a toddler. You ain’t seen nothing yet, buddy.” I’ll just take my time and slowly ease into the more awful stage of this whole process. Sometimes I wonder what is really happening to the Mrs. and I. Last week we went to the grocery store and bought a calorie-filled, preservative based, prepackaged chocolate cake. This is the very first time we have ever done something so absurd. This is very much not like us. Have we no self control anymore? Or is this just a nonsensical knee jerk reaction to sleep deprivation?
Our newly bought iPod Classic, which actually blasted Rhapsody in Blue when the little one was introduced to planet earth, has played nothing but a consistent hum I purchased for 99 cents called “Brown Noise for Babies”. So much for storing our eclectic 40 GB collection of tunes.
It sounds like I’m griping, doesn’t it? It’s far from what I’m trying to do. I would give up iPods, iPads, clean shirts, desserts or precious REM hours of sleep, as long as I got to meet that beautiful little dark haired princess. I’ve embraced the change, conformed to mayhem and loved every minute of it. Thanks Livy for turning my world upside down. It’s a much better world this way.
image via Mactrast Last night I relearned a valuable lesson that I should know – especially after 9 years of marriage. My wife and I had been having an quiet evening at home, each of us reading our own separate books (okay, I was playing Carcassone on my iPad). Finally, late in the evening, she [...]
I was lucky to have some great friends as a teenager. It makes me sad to read articles in the New York Times about books like this where we find that teen boys are too afraid of being stigmatized by having close male friends. It’s just wrong. The male friends that I made as a [...]
As I start writing this, I am exactly one week away from getting married. I am a little older than most Mormon grooms (I’m 27) so I’ve had more time than most to think about how I want to approach my future marriage and family. As I’ve watched friends move one by one (or I [...]
