Here's what I know: in any relationship, you pick the battles you know you can win. You don't start a fight you think you might lose. Compromise is never a sign of weakness if done correctly. And by "correctly", I mean, every one gets something close to what they wanted in the first place. Life is what happens after you make plans.
Cathy and I are navigating the mine field of electronics.
You might remember when we were all kids, we had one form of entertaining ourselves: outside. Then, the first electronic device was invented; it was called the television. I remember growing up as The Human Remote. The only "control" I had was in changing the channel to what other people wanted to watch. I think it was when I finally moved out, and Cathy and I got married that I learned to enjoy the shows she liked to watch. It's really kind of fun to heckle home improvement shows, y'know like Mystery Science Theater 3000, where they sit and heckle old, bad movies? Yeah, like that.
Navigating the mine field of electronics means we are learning about our kids' tastes. Bella like young adult romances like Twilight. She's not a big Harry Potter fan, like the boys are. I took all the Harry Potter films with when Cathy and I went to bring Bella home last Spring. Yeah, they pretty much sat, lonely and unwatched. Bella was gifted with a tablet while in the orphanage. She used the internet connection in the apartment to watch YouTube videos of programs in Ukrainian. She does like Big Time Rush and Drake and Josh, just like the boys, though.
She's pretty easy that way.
The boys are a little bit more of a challenge. Ethan likes WWE and combat. Cathy's not much for blood and guts. I realize that even though we own Saving Private Ryan, I've never actually seen it. We have Black Hawk Down, I've watched it once or twice. I'm shocked - shocked, I tells ya! - that we do not have Patton in our DVD collection. That's like the Blazing Saddles of war movies. Ethan keeps asking to watch "fight" or "battle" movies, and we keep deflecting, mainly because it easier for all of us to watch a family movie than clear the room so he and I can watch a war movie.
Cathy and I have been watching Friends on Netflix. Maybe you are, too. That's kind of been a big deal that the show is streaming on Netflix now. Not that I'm trying to promote the show or the streaming or the Netflix; but Justin has discovered Friends and is watching it with us. He's even getting better at the clapping. He's clapping at the right time and on beat, but we have to work on the only clapping the once and then moving on.
I'm not sure how I feel about Justin watching Friends. I know that Ethan doesn't understand when I tell him that WWE is not entirely - *ahem* - completely (SPOILER ALERT) real. If Mom were to hit me with a folding chair or a table, or land a pile driver on me, she's probably need a pretty good reason. Oh, and I'd end up in the hospital, eating my food through a straw. I'm not exactly sure I want Justin to learn about relationships through Friends. Especially, since we've reached The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break. Not to mention Chandler's on again, off again relationship with Janice, and pretty much all of Joey.
Cathy and I like to watch the show, not so much for Ross and Rachel, or Joey or Phoebe, but for Chandler and Monica. We have a running conversation going, where we point out all the times before London ("London, bay-bee!"), where Chandler and Monica are sitting, if they are sitting next to one another; how they are sitting together; and, how often they confide in each other. Chandler and Monica seemed to be this great big secret that was keep for four seasons, before they started keeping the secret of being together.
Still, that's not something I think I want him to experience without supervision.
I'm nervous about it, because right now, the show we all can agree on is Castle.
It's amazing the things we become comfortable with isn't it? There's some mayhem and violence on the show, but it's not intense violence and mayhem. Castle reminds me of getting through high school watching Remington Steele. It's kind of fun bonding with the kids over what they like to watch. I remember when Big Time Rush was called The Monkees. Harry Potter was Encyclopedia Brown and he didn't have a film franchise. Harry, Hermione and Ron used to be The Mod Squad, and they looked pretty old for teenagers.
I'm just hoping that Justin makes it through Ross and Rachel's break-up okay...
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