So, I decided, rather than reinventing the wheel, I’m gonna go ahead and give you the brief summary of each episode straight from the Parenthood website. They’re much more brief, it will save me time and I can focus on telling you what I learned! I’ll go into more detail as I explain my findings.
This week on Parenthood: Adam and Sarah struggle to find balance between personal and professional life, while Julia deals with the delicate balance of social structure for six-year-olds. Crosby learns about the difficulties of being a father.
Let me be honest, it was quite a challenge for me to find a few things I learned. I really had to dig deep.Not that there wasn’t anything noteworthy, I just couldn’t relate to some of the issues, at least not yet. This episode forced me to think into the future and ask myself a lot of ‘what if’ questions. So, without further adieu, here’s what I learned on Parenthood.
- You must maintain a balance between your professional life and your personal life to remain sane. Adam always receives a visit by his family members and friends while at the office. Now with Sarah joining the team, it seems as though his personal life is not so personal anymore. Working together becomes a challenge for both siblings. I used to work with my sister and Daddy, but we acted like colleagues so I think. If you’re working with a sibling, make sure you set some boundaries.
- Never schedule a play-date for your child without their consent. And if you need to cancel, don’t say it’s because there’s ‘bad blood’ between the kids. Let your children decide who they want to play with, but if you’re already making a play-date with another mom, talk to you child about it as well. Consider their feelings too. Be aware of Preschool Politics – something I’m not really looking forward too!
- Know what’s best for your child, even when it’s not in your best interest for you. Crosby is upset because Jasmine wants Jabbar to stay with her mom, for a number of reasons among them – structure an stability. Crosby lives on a boat with one bedroom. Grandma has a single family home where Jabbar has his own room. Crosby finally realizes that it’s best for Jabbar to stay with his grandmother until he finds a more suitable child-friendly place to stay.
- Help others when they are in need. Kristina offers to help a fellow mother in the midst of a divorce. She agrees to watch her child who also has Aspergers’ Syndrome like her son Max. Although it is a difficult task, she doesn’t have the heart to say no. Kristina opens her heart and home wholeheartedly. Another reminder that we need to be there for others because we never know when we may need their help.
- The moment you get that much needed alone time, you realize that all you really want is to be with your family, no matter how much they drive you crazy. Adam gets home to find a note from Kristina saying that she took the kids out to dinner. After celebrating quietly and jumping on the couch for some R&R he realizes that all he wants to do is be with the family. He gets up and meets them for dinner. I’ve experienced this many times already, especially now that Pinky is in my life. I feel like I need to get out and once I am out, all I can think of is getting home to Daddy and Pinky. There is truly nothing like being with your family. Nothing is worth being away from them. I now catch myself when I begin to say that I need some time to myself and instead I think that I’ll never get these times with my baby and husband back, so I should enjoy their company while I can.
Got an early start and a late finish on this post. I hope you enjoyed the show and can relate to what I learned. Just watched tonight’s episode in strides because Pinky was up late. Stay tuned for the next What I Learned on Parenthood post this week!