Secret Life

I get sucked into all sorts of TV marathons...usually crappy reality shows like The Real Housewives of [name the place], or True Life on MTV, or...really, anything.

Today was one of those lazy Sundays; once I got home from my quick out-of-town sojourn, I plopped on the couch and went through the Tivo guide. I landed on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

Unlike most of the marathons I watch, this one is really good.

It starts in a somewhat typical way...good girl teenager has sex for the first time, and gets knocked up (because if we have learned anything from TV, good girls always get pregnant after the first time they have sex). Molly Ringwald, who of course was stellar in her day as a pregnant teen in For Keeps? (with Randall Batinkoff, swoon), plays the mom, and her reaction to her daughter being preggars seemed so spot on for that situation.

Being TV, there are of course some exaggerated moments. But they seem to play this really well... angry siblings, stressed parents, rumors around school, friends freaking out. Thankfully, I don't have first hand experience with this, but I imagine it isn't too too far off base.

I will say...watching this show is 1. good birth control. So much to worry about with kids (especially girls! The boy is getting off easy here, no pun intended); 2. making me consider should I have kids, getting them chastity belts (boys and girls); 3. a good warning to keep your children locked up for a very, very long time. Home schooling never looked so good!