Parenthood TV show

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I dont like how they put aspergers in that show, with the son. The way they talk about it, it might be kind of offensive to some people who have aspergers because some of it I think is false. And it gives people the wrong idea about it what it is. I just dont think it was necesary for them to include that in the show. IMO.

I hope that made sense, I struggled writing it because I could not think of the right words.

I watched all of season one of Parenthood and while I didn't always agree with how the parents chose to deal with the asperger's (like not telling Max about his diagnosis. I think that will eventually come back in a painful way when he finds out and feels like he was lied to all along because everyone knew and didn't tell him) I have been favorably impressed by the realism of the show. It's really hard to find a realistic portrayal of autism on television or in the movies and I felt like the producers, writers, and directors of Parenthood have done an admirable job, no matter how I personally feel about the organization Autism Speaks.

i agree with everything sparrow rose said. apparently one of the writers of the show has a child with AS, and i think it's pretty realistic. i do sometimes disagree with the way the parents handle things, but i think they're basically loving and are just learning as they go along too. (and i could have done without the autism speaks publicity in one of the shows, but that's just my personal opinion about autism speaks.)

I thought it was especially realistic when the dad was in denial, early in the season, and the mom got upset and said, "don't make me be alone with this!" It really felt a lot like the reactions I and my partner had when I was diagnosed except my partner "left me alone with this" for many years before he was willing to deal with it. (Though it's different with a child, I think. I don't know if the dad would have come around so quickly if it had been an adult who got diagnosed.)

I might be the odd one out, but I love the show parenthood. I can relate to max, watching him in some ways is like watching myself, minus the brat attitude and I didn't need stickers to do anything. I don't like the free publicity it gives to autism speaks though.

I love the show, too. I love everyone in it. The fight between the cousins over the boy. The relationship Crosby is building with the son he never knew he had.

I love the fantasy of the big family, too. My parents moved far away from their parents (probably for the same or similar reasons to why I moved far away from my parents!) and I grew up with just Mom, Dad, Michael and me. Then Michael died when I was almost seven and I spent the next three years as an only child and felt really out of place in my home and often wondered why my parents even had children. Then at age ten, my little sister was born. So that was my family and since mom did everything she could to push me out of the house, I didn't get to spend much time with my sister after she was five so she is practically a stranger to me and I'm sad about that. We're Facebook friends now but we hardly post to each other at all.

So I love the Braverman family because it's something I didn't have growing up -- that huge extended family who all live close to each other and spend a lot of time with each other and might bicker sometimes but really love each other and work things out. I feel like it's a fantasy and there aren't really families like that but they show up on tv shows because everyone wishes they had that kind of family. I feel a little bit like I'm part of their family when I watch and I like that. That's something I love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, too. When I watch, I feel a little bit like I'm a part of their circle of friends. I often use television or movies to make up for feeling like I missed out on the big loving family and the tight-knit circle of friends. I can still get a taste of it when I watch other people act out those roles.

I noted that, but I agree with the strategy.

Parenting has no perfect methodology. The key is to keep a kid grounded in reality but also encourage them to dream big and pursue their dreams.

Reality says, "You're autistic and will never be able to do what others can do."

Potential says, "If you work hard, you can do anything you set your mind to."

I can't name a single parent I've met who knows the secret to this balance. The closest is to encourage the kid to try and be there when they fail. By trying and failing they discover what limits can be overcome and what limits are absolutes.

Do you want an autistic kid to know he's "different?" When should he come to that realization? It's a problem because a kid who is happy in his own little world won't realize how much he's missing because he lacks the negative experiences to realize something isn't right...so he'll never ask.

I interviewed Peter Bell, who appeared on the episode of Parenthood in which Autism Speaks was featured.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isLawfXj6RM[/youtube]

My parents didn't initially tell me about Asperger's but I figured it out on my own almost immediately after I was diagnosed.

Max has asked a few times. His parents keep using diversionary tactics to avoid talking about it with him.