Whose Dreams...Whose Expectations

One of my secret shames is that I can't get enough of 8 Simple Rules. I loved it when John Ritter was the focal point of the entire show and I loved it after John Ritter passed away. I love the characters, I love the story lines, I love the messages. It feels like the kind of show that I grew up watching...you know, family values, entertainment, blah, blah, blah...

Tonight I watched a re-run on Treehouse. It was the episode where Bridget wanted to become an aesthetician instead of attending a traditional college, and her Dad, John Ritter, freaked out. The message of the particular show is that you've got to let people be themselves and make their own choices, and it struck me as a valuable sit-com inspired lesson for raising Zo. Sure we want this or that for her but in the end it'll all come down to what she wants for herself. I guess that puts the pressure on us to lay a good foundation so that whatever she chooses to be or do it's something valuable. It's important to us that we remember whose dreams are on the table in front of Zo, and whose expectations she's trying to meet. If the answer to either of those questions is something other than herself, well, we've messed up.

Look at you Jack Tripper...still teaching us valuable lessons, like allowing your child to live her own life, and why faking a gay lifestyle can get you a better deal on rent in Santa Monica, California. What an inspiration.