We decided to spend the apocalypse introducing our kids to our favorite TV show of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So as we’ve sheltered-in-place, we’ve watched Buffy and her friends avert countless apocalypses of their own. Frankly, I’m disappointed that our own sad apocalypse hasn’t featured better hair and makeup. If Buffy can defeat a slimy pit of monsters without smudging her lipgloss, surely I could remember to brush my teeth and put on pants?
Two of our kids are prime ages for Buffy, which aired before TV ratings but to which I’d assign a solid TV-14 rating. Our youngest is 10, way too young for these high school and college themes, but this is what happens when you have a bunch of kids. By the last one, you’ve given up and don’t want them to feel left out. Look, in these effing unprecedented times, sometimes we let the children do things they wouldn’t have done a few months ago back when they did things like “go to school” and “leave the house.”
I forget how much has changed since the ‘90s, I mean, besides easy access to toilet paper (dear children, we threw it in trees), until I started watching this show with my kids, and they asked things like, “So parents can just walk into the school without a visitor’s pass? Where’s the security?” It was the ‘90s. And “Why can’t she just call for help on her phone when she’s trapped in the crypt?” No cell phones yet, kids. And “Why are they at the library all the time?” No Google. And “Where are the parents? Why are these kids always home alone?”
Alex and I just keep saying, “It was the ‘90s.” It was the ‘90s, a time when sneaking out every night to battle the forces of darkness without the grownups ever noticing just made sense. This time around, I’m also noticing that not one time, not one single time, did the kids ever need help with schoolwork from a parent. Man, the ‘90s were nice. Our parents had it good. KEEP READING…
