TV Families

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s I used to watch a LOT of television. Probably not as much as kids today spend on computers and TV, but probably more TV than I needed to watch. Most of it was in black and white.

I remember seeing lots of TV shows about families.



I often wondered just why in the world MY family wasn't like THOSE families. Dads were always wise and understanding. Moms always seemed to wear pearl necklaces and high heels even when vacuuming.



These families always seemed to be smiling a lot and enjoying being with each other.



These TV families certainly were NOT like mine! I wondered if other kids in my class lived in families like the ones I saw on TV. I assumed they probably did.



In the 60s we started getting color TV shows. I liked the animated shows the best. I especially liked the Jetsons. I was sure that one day I would be driving a flying car.



One of the few shows my mother watched was Family Affair. It wasn't my favorite but I thought it was okay. It was just another one of those families that seemed to live a life much different than mine. This family lived in a city and that was different for an Iowa farm kid.



My favorite show about a family was Bonanza. That show had everything I liked - horses, guns, men drinking, men acting like men and not pansies. I wanted to be just like Ben Cartwright when I grew up.



Of course, the Andy Griffith Show was one of my favorites, too. I thought having a dad like Andy would have been pretty nice. I felt sorry for Opie that he did not have a mom, but Aunt Bea seemed to fill the role.



Of course I could never get enough of Barney and how he made me laugh.



Thanks for walking down this memory lane with me. I think I'll go watch a rerun of a TV show that was just fun, light hearted entertainment. That's the way TV should be.