Missing the Morals

Prompt from Mama Kat: A list of 10 old TV shows you'd like to make a comeback.

Even though the prompt says to list ten, I'm just going to talk about one: Father Knows Best. I rediscovered Father Knows Best on a channel here that plays old TV episodes from the past. What I have been struck by is how moral the show is. Every time I watch it, I sigh and think, "Why did we lose shows like this?"

Father Knows Best is a show about the Anderson family, Jim and Margaret, parents, and kids Betty, Bud and Kathy. The family isn't perfect. In fact, one of the things I like about the show is that it isn't Leave It to Beaver. That is, the family doesn't face things with a sappy "Oh my, I just did the right thing. Yay for me!" attitude. (Don't get me wrong; Leave it to Beaver is fine, but I always thought the way the lines were delivered often sounded contrived). The Andersons act like real people, real people that really want to do the right thing. They may struggle to do it, they may even fail, yet they still seek to do what is right. It's a show that would encourage a child to pursue morals.

What do we see today? Very rarely, if hardly ever, shows like Father Knows Best. No, today, the dads are idiots, the mothers are overbearing or ultra feminist, the children are snarky. You come away from most shows today learning that being immoral is great. Everyone else is immoral so that must be normal and normal is good. There is no challenge in today's shows. No challenge to actually live a life that seeks moral action for the good of others and oneself.

*Sigh* I long for the good old shows. I want Alexis to be encouraged that as I talk to her about choosing to do what is right, she really can. So, I'm adding Father Knows Best DVDs to my wish list. The show might not be current, but we can still watch it because of the gifts of technology (one of the good things about the time I live in!).