The Simpsons

The Simpsons. I remember watching you on my parent’s old analog TV. The one with those funky bunny ear antennas and the 15 different buttons that each corresponded to a channel. Yep, those were the days. The days of TV-time restrictions (Asian parents) and nothing seemingly important to worry about.

Everyday at 6 pm sharp. Sometimes at  7:30. Sunday nights. You were a typical American family. You made me laugh, you entertained me, and for those twenty minutes (and ten minutes of commercials), I felt at home, experiencing these same things in my imagination, replaying what had just happened on the screen in my mind.

And you taught me a very important thing – that there is no such thing as a perfect family. You were open about your shortcomings. You broke the mold of the traditional, no-drama nuclear family with two and a half kids and a cookie-cutter house in the suburbs. Because it was never like that. And you made me appreciate my own family, perfect or not, that much more.

Happy twentieth birthday.

One Response
  1. January 10, 2010