pop culture
Some pop-culture families incite envy with their picture-perfection, while others make you acutely grateful for the one you're stuck with.
Life Lessons from the Hallmark Channel
I don’t have a lot of free time. Taking a moment to do something purely enjoyable for myself just doesn’t happen very often. I’ve learned to grab a little joy when I can, namely while simultaneously stress-working, worrying about the day ahead, and folding laundry after everyone has gone to bed. This is time I allow myself to put on some mindless entertainment that doesn’t require me to spend too much of the attention needed to finish my projects. This is why my beloved Hallmark movies are the perfect selection--they’re fun, wholesome, and formulaic enough to give only a percentage of my focus and still enjoy. During this time, I’ve learned a lot of life lessons. Due to the sheer quantity of movies I’ve seen, I’ve become something of an expert on the Hallmark Life in Hallmarkland. I’d like to share some of these shiny pearls of wisdom that I’ve learned from this excellent family programming.
By Jenay Sherman5 years ago in Families
In a Millennial Generation
Shit, I think to myself as I another sip of my Dunkin Donuts coffee, my eyes focused on the road in front of me. I was late again. Not just a 3 minutes, or even 10 minutes, it was getting closer and closer to more like 2o minutes or even 25 minutes.
By Kelsey Townsend5 years ago in Families
Potato Head, Toy Story, and Muppets: stop sexing childhood
I remember reading a while ago about a long running daytime tv controversy that had mothers clutching pearls and fathers popping monocles everywhere: ARE BERT AND ERNIE GAY?! Can you imagine the generations damaged by this torrid tale of muppet sexuality being slid under our wall of child protectionism?
By Dominic McGowan5 years ago in Families
Not Ashamed of Shameless
I refused to watch Shameless. For years. The first time a friend suggested I watch it, I was put off. She told me about it and it just sounded too much like things I’d seen in real life. It wasn’t entertainment, it was sad. It was wrong to think that I’d want to watch the show just because I was like them in some way. The line was drawn, I wasn’t going there.
By Karen Diane5 years ago in Families
Little House Of Guilty Pleasures.
Little House on the Prairie is an American TV show that aired from 1974, though I am far too young to remember such a time just admitting to this guilty pleasure makes me feel like I've one foot in the grave (another guilty pleasure by the way, but that's one for another time).
By Darren Potter5 years ago in Families
Baby Boomers and the Retirement Crisis
Baby boomers currently constitute a massive proportion of the developed world today. As many as one fifth of North America are baby boomers. As we live longer and are able to exist far longer than we ever did due to great advances in medical care, the demographic that outlines our national statistics is somewhat skewed.
By Kevin Roache5 years ago in Families
Why My Current Writing Projects Feature Autistic People
I am an autistic person (and yes, folks, this is the preferred way to express it rather than a “person with autism”). My son is an autistic person. It gives us a different world view and life experiences and the real reason I want to write about autistic people as my main characters is that I want to celebrate what it is to be autistic.
By Hayley Hunkin5 years ago in Families
