TV.... It gets a bad rap and for the most part there isn't a whole lot on it that is great. However, I love watching it! I know, I know, I can hear the voices out there saying shame, shame. TVLand is a channel out there that shows old TV shows from when I grew up and older. They have recently been showing old episodes of the Cosby Show. All I have learned about parenting and marriage I learned from the Cosby Show.
While, that is not exactly true, Michael and I watch it and think that certain items make great discipline techniques. For instance, Vanessa snuck out of the home and when Clare and Cliff found out(she was late and they called the other girl's parents), they moved the couch in front of the front door and snuggled up and waited. Clare, of course, was on fire and Cliff was calmer(very much like my home). As Vanessa backed in the front door, she quietly turned around and BOOM! there they were. She knew that there was no getting out of it and faced her punishment, which they administered and kept. We like this one and while we hope to never have to use it, we'll keep it filed away in our brains for later. The Huxtables disciplined their kids without demeaning them and yet they are fair. I know, it is a sitcom but ask any of the actors and it really was that way on the set and they felt like Cosby was their dad.
Cliff and Clare were constantly trying to get some alone time. With 5 kids and a myriad of others traipsing through the home, it was almost impossible. Yet, they showed their kids that affection between the parents is ok and actually good(icky!). Cliff was always trying to be romantic with Clare while she tried to walk a fine line between being a strong woman and not disrespecting her man.
The whole family was taught the respecting their elders was expected and not optional. This day and age so many kids are disrespectful to their grandparents and older people with whom they come in contact. They loved older people and I remember them celebrating their grandparents' anniversaries, birthdays, and other special days.
Each child in the home was different and was treated that way. Sandra, the 1st born, did things the traditional way. Going to college, having a career, getting married, and having children. Denise, however, was not traditional. She was kind of drifting afloat and went off to college, dropped out, went to Africa and came home with a husband and stepdaughter. Theo and Vanessa were on their way to adulthood when the show went off. Rudy was still a child and hadn't quite yet hit puberty. I know from having many siblings raised by the same parents that we each turned out differently, despite our parents' best intentions. I would be interested to see a movie reunion.
Anyway, I love this show and watch it 3-4 times per week. On the whole, it is wholesome and pure. Very refreshing! Kudos to you, Bill Cosby!
