A small price to pay for family time
If I want to have any hope of watching something with someone aside from the dog, I ask family members what they want to watch. Credit: Dreamstime
Family life requires compromise. For someone like me who would be content to watch sports pretty much every night, compromise in a household of females who are casual sports fans at best means trying to find some common ground on TV.
Try though I did to indoctrinate our two daughters, now aged 17 and 20, in fandom, I essentially failed. They do watch the Islanders, though these days that has more to do with the cuteness of center Mat Barzal. They proclaim not to understand football, but have a passing interest in the Giants. And they say baseball is boring. The Mets’ woeful play has not helped.
When it comes to our household, I am reminded frequently that “It’s not a patriarchy!”
That applies to the remote. If I want to have any hope of watching something with someone aside from the dog, I ask them what they want to watch. With so many choices — and so many screens — the days of an entire family gathering to watch a weekly sitcom together are long gone.
Where to find common ground? It’s not easy. My refuse-to-watch list runs quite long. Forget “Big Brother” (“Why are they always yelling?”), “The Bachelor” (“This is no way to find a spouse.”), “Say Yes to the Dress” (Do I really need to explain my rationale?), and many more.
I’m not into dramas (“Life contains enough drama,” I say.) or yet another series centered around high school.
I also tend to speak loudly — they say I yell — at the TV: “Throw the damn ball, Eli!” “Can anyone on this team play defense?” “Throw a damn strike! This bullpen is atrocious!” And perhaps some less kind remarks.
Well, in the interest of family harmony, I am yelling at HGTV and Food Network. We all enjoy virtual house hunting and renovations. And who doesn’t like food, even if my own cooking is limited to sausage and peppers. So instead of screaming at another off-target Islander shot, it’s often, “Of course you need an open floor plan, people! What are you thinking?! You have five kids!” Or “You think you are going to beat Bobby Flay by grilling cow tongue? Get real!”
These shows provide ample opportunity for running commentary and opinions. We can debate which house should get selected or which chef deserves to get chopped, although the latter is a bit of a challenge without tasting the food.
Honestly, I find these shows more than a bit repetitive, but watching the Giants fail to score a TD yet again gets repetitive, too.
So I’m still yelling at the TV, but at least it’s a family event. Sometimes.
Reader Matthew Hickerson lives in Huntington.
