You are allotted one hour of screen time on Saturday and another for Sunday. Other than, you don’t get the option to use a tablet, laptop, phone, or Netflix.
Well, there is an exception, actually:
If Mommy or I feel like taking a break and watching a movie, then that obviously doesn’t count against your hour for that weekend day.
So this past Sunday afternoon while I was working on a big blog post I’ve been putting off, I insisted that Mommy relax and watch a movie.
Both you and your sister were doing a great job of convincing me that neither of you were tired enough to need a nap. That meant you got to hang out with Mommy instead of going to sleep.
You didn’t complain at all that Mommy was watching one of her straight-to-Netflix, Southern-themed romantic comedies.
Hey- it’s better to watch one of Mommy’s movies than no movie at all.
When I was kid, getting to go see a movie in a theater was quite an event! It was a special occasion that I never took for granted.
Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I have learned you are sort of already over going to see movies.
I carefully planned our family’s weekend schedule around seeing the newest Star Wars movie earlier this year. But when the time came, after groceries were bought and put away, the bathrooms were cleaned, and I got your sister to sleep for her nap, you asked me, “Daddy, do we have to go see it? Can we just wait until it comes out on Netflix?”
So we didn’t go.
Selfishly, I was disappointed because it would have given me an uninterrupted break for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon. No responsibilities, yet still serving as a form of spending quality time with you.
But no, I wasn’t going to make you to the the movies. Instead, you just wanted to play at our house.
Though it’s a struggle, I suppose I can understand where you’re coming from… a little bit. After all, these days it seems all the new Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney movies end up on Netflix anyway. And for a movie over 2 hours, it’s nice being able to not have to commit to it all in one viewing.
I admit, too; with all the amazing movies constantly coming out, it’s a little exhausting keeping up with them all.
So much for Sunday afternoons free of parental responsibilities.
Maybe it’s just a phase. Maybe by the time I’m no longer constantly exhausted once you and your sister are older and more independent, when I finally need less of a break, then you’ll see it as a worthwhile experience to go see a movie in the theater.
I am definitely not complaining. I love being a stay-at-home dad who works on the side as a freelance writer and YouTuber. This is who I am now.
My kids are amazing. My heart melts every time I see them. I am one lucky dad!
Just look at them… ah!
But I will say, if I’m allowed to be honest (?)… back when I worked in the office doing a “real job”, I undeniably got more rest, more time to myself, and even more time to exercise.
As a stay-at-home dad who works from home, I am “on” from the moment the first child wakes up (around 6:15 AM) until the moment I get the last of my YouTube videos shot for the day (around 10:30 PM). Not to mention, it is also my role to get up with our daughter in the middle of the night when she suddenly wakes up; I’m the one who gets her back to sleep, if she’ll go back to sleep.
And all throughout the day I’m racing to get work done, during any break I get, like when my daughter falls asleep for a 90 minute naps; which is how I’m typing this now).
Compare that to when I worked in HR in an office, which was a nearly hour-long drive from my house. Even though I was the one dropping off both kids at their separate day cares, it still gave me close to an hour to work, then an hour from work, to myself.
I could sit in a car for nearly two hours a day and listen to music as I commuted. I had time to be by myself and think.
Plus, I had two 10 minute breaks in addition to an hour lunch break each day.
There was even an abandoned closet in the back of the building where it was an unspoken rule that you could take a nap there during your lunch break; which I regularly did, sleeping on the floor, using a jacket as my pillow.
Additionally, I used the park next to my office as my gym, where it was easy to get an all natural work-out.
Yeah, I don’t have those advantages now. I’m working on blog posts, YouTube videos, or household chores during every free moment I get. And I can’t just take a 20 month-old little girl outside in the extreme temperature, to get exercise for myself.
It’s always a constant race to get work done before my daughter wakes up. (I’m currently about 12 minutes away from that happening now…)
So you can imagine, I find it a foreign concept when I read a comment like this on one of my videos:
“You are a good stay at home dad. My husband would just be napping or watching the TV. I know what my husband’s DNA is, the lazy gene ha ha ha ha ha. Love your videos…”
I love having the privilege of staying at home with my kids while my wife sacrifices by being the one to work full-time; bringing in the majority of our income, as well as insurance and benefits.
But I won’t deny, just like with any job, mine has got its downsides.
Every once in a while, I reluctantly give myself a break, and will take a nap while my daughter is asleep. I’ve done that about 3 times since I began a stay-at-home dad nearly 3 months ago.
But then I wake up and realize how much work I have to catch up on!
I must declare that the 2nd season of Netflix’s Stranger Things is even better than the first! But that’s not what you’re here for. Instead, you want to know if Stranger Things 2 is appropriate for your child.
To help you out, I’ve divided the potentially offensive content in to categories for your convenience:
Profanity:
Like with the first season, there are no major curse words, like “g—d—“ or “f—“. However, every episode contains multiple uses of “sh—“ and many of the episodes contain the phrase “son of a b—-“ and/or “d-ck”. And most of the the profanity is said by the 13 year-old children.
Sex/Nudity:
Most episodes are free of sensuality, but there is mid-season episode in which it is undeniably implied that 2 teenagers (who are protagonists) engage in sexual activity, behind closed doors.
Violence:
There is heavy violence throughout the series, including many onscreen deaths. Additionally, there are many uses of guns and weapons.
Drugs/Alcohol:
There is regular use of cigarettes and beer by teens, as well as adult characters.
Dark Themes:
The overall theme of Stranger Things 2 is definitely darker (and better) than the first season.
It is by no means a family friendly show, yet it is definitely fascinating, intriguing, and addicting.
As for a child watching Stranger Things 2, I say the best comparison for inappropriate content for children would be the movie, X-Men: Apocolypse; regarding profanity, sex, violence, drugs/alcohol, and dark themes.
However, it’s up to the individual parent to decide at what age.
At worst, treat it as a PG-13 rated movie that you watch with your child, until the moment you feel uncomfortable with the show.
Though Stranger Things 2 is not a show for kids, it’s a show that some kids will definitely want to watch; leading us back to that paradox of how violent PG-13 rated superhero movies appeal to kids.
Though my wife and I have been thoroughly enjoying the fact our 1 year-old daughter has been sleeping through the night for the past 7 months, and therefore enabling us to go to bed by 10 o’clock each night, we found a reason to stay up a little bit past our bed time.
I am of course referring to a new show on Netflix that your friends aren’t talking about on Facebook, but should be: Anne With An E.
The series is somewhat loosely based on the 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Despite maintaining a TV-PG rating, this version of the story is a bit darker and edgier than the book, and especially more so than the 1985 miniseries.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the premise, here’s the concept:
Back in the days of trains, horses, general stores, and doctors who made house calls, an aging brother and sister in Canada choose to adopt a teenage boy to help them work their farm.
However, the orphanage sends them a girl instead; likely in an attempt to get rid of her.
She’s skinny, red headed, and freckle-faced. She also full of imagination, a chatter box, and extremely intelligent.
Anne is an orphan girl who has never been adopted by a family before and truly doesn’t know what it is to actually be loved by anyone she’s ever met; as her parents died when she was a baby.
Here’s why my wife and I love this show so much, having watched the entire season in less than a week:
Annie With An E is the story of an unloved girl who doesn’t know how to fit in, but who finds a way to win the hearts of the people she encounters. For me, a good story is based on character arc more than anything.
This series does an excellent job of showing how the main characters change for the better from episode to episode- and how forgiveness, along with open-mindedness, are crucial for this evolution.
If I haven’t convinced you yet, I’ll simply leave you with the opening sequence and theme song for Netflix’s Anne with an E.
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