Married with Children

Slow down Gretchen. Do not be fooled by the title of this blog, this is not an announcement of any sort!

I was thinking the other day about the show Married with Children. Well Actually i got there by thinking of my family. And I thought that we aren't quire the Cleavers, but we are close. But that got me thinking about what might be the opposite of the Cleavers. My first thought was The Bundy's from Married with Children. And i remember that as a child i was not supposed to watch that show. As i began to think back on that show i realized that it seems to be as far fetched as Leave it to Beaver. The odds of finding a family like the Cleavers these days is rare. But then i realized that finding a family like the Bundy's would be impossible.

The thing I realized is that I am impressed with Al Bundy. Al Bundy does not like his kids, because they are disappointments. His daughter is a slut. He son can't ever do anything right. Neither of them have done much to make their father proud (yet some of this fault may lie with Al himself). Al doesn't seem to like his wife, at least not all the time. And he does not seem to be attracted to her anymore. She constantly is hitting him up for affection and he seems to get nauseous when he thinks of their love life. He hates his job. He sells women's shoes, and finds his work completely unsatisfying. He is constantly in debt because his job does not pay well.

Ward cleaver is some sort of Business Manager. He is successful and enjoyed his work, though it was hard. His wife stays at home where she cares for the house, she cooks and cleans everyday, she keeps an eye on the boys daily so they do not veer to far off the "narrow path" and so Ward only comes in once a show to point the Beaver back on course, and The Beaver always listens. When ward comes home he finds his attractive wife just finishing a nice home-cooked dinner, adorning a nice dress and her pearls. His boys tell them what great tings they are doing, sports teams and good grades mostly. He cares for them and they care for him.

Ward and Al seem to be opposites. but to see them as similar we need to imagine taking men from today and placing them as these fathers. If Joe Sixpack found himself as Ward Cleaver place he probably would think that he had lucked out. How many men have a salary that can pay for all their families needs? How many men come home every night to big home-cooked meals? How many have children that only make mistakes that can be resolved in 30 minutes? How many men are satisfied and contented with their life in the way that Ward Cleaver is? How many men would like to be?

Now think if a man wound up as Al Bundy? What happens to men that lose interest in their wife, have troubled kids, and hate their job. Do you think many men would stay married with children, or would they divorce their wife by some Rogaine and try to start over. Al's life peaked in High School when he was the star running back. But he remains married to peg working a crappy job to support kids that think he is joke. Al is not perfect. he many faults, but he does love his family enough to be faithful to them. His head is always filled with thoughts of running away and become someone else, but he remains committed to his family.

I suppose if you look you could find men with great families. Finding happily married men is not hard. But to find unhappily married men would be harder. In a society that tells you to always reach for your individual potential, it is rare to find people who do not cut and run. Today it is much more likely to find split families who seem to be "ok" than troubled families who stick together.

It made me think if Al and Ward switched places. What would happen? Something to think about.

Also, if your read Matthew 1, you realize that Jesus' family was more like the Bundy's than the Cleavers.

Hope your advent is filled with love and hope and peace and joy.