Don?t you love when one of your all time favorite movies is showing for a month straight on HBO?   I have caught Parenthood with Steve Martin twice already.  I?ll tell you why I love it.  Even though it’s such an old movie, it’s still so funny, and it resonates with me now more than ever.  It follows a family, three siblings, and the dynamics of each of their families, from marriages to issues with the kids.

There?s a great scene where a mother and her teenage daughter are fighting, and the daughter wants to move in with her boyfriend the mom doesn?t approve of.  ?We?re in love.  I will be fine.?  The mom screams back, ?If you leave this house, you are not welcome back.? As the daughter leaves, the mom runs out after her, ?Honey, be safe, if you need anything, I am always here for you, just call.?

Now my Julia doesn?t want to move in with anyone yet, (although there is this hottie on The Carrie Diaries I would encourage her to pursue in a few years) but we had a similar type of exchange over her schoolwork.  Each semester, the kids are required to meet a certain amount of AR (accelerated reader) points received from taking tests on certain books. Julia will intermittently freak out about them.  Last semester, she waited until the last minute to finish her points, and the last day before they were due, she had one hundred pages to finish.  The night before the test, my husband and I took turns reading her the book so she would finish faster.  We warned her that this could not happen again?would not happen again.  ?We would rather you not get the points next time, then read to you.  You have to know that school work comes first.?  (To congratulate ourselves for awesome parenting, we of course high-fived when we got to our room)

Two days, ago, AR points were due again and my daughter, again, left her book till the last minute.  She had at least two-hundred and fifty pages left.  I proudly stood my ground and told her that it?s her fault.  She chose to not read and watch Good Luck Charlie instead.  She chose to make videos of her kissing herself than read, and it was my job to teach her that her actions have consequences.  ?Be prepared to not get the points,? I warned.

Did you know that at 3:30am, one can be quite productive.  Not only did I finish her book, I took notes on it as well, so that when she woke from her deep sleep in the normal hours of the morning, she would know what she missed.

Many would not agree with what I did.  Not sure if I do.  Some will say she will never learn.  But she is nine, and AR was important to her.  And I teach her lessons all the time.  How many nine-year-olds know how to complete an online purchase? And I am a pussy. And I have promised myself this will never happen again.

But that?s my version of Parenthood. A constant struggle of trying to put your foot down, and then just giving a little toe tap.

photo courtesy of impawards.com