Well, at least at heart. I have proof. Two words. Blue Blood.
Over 13.8 million weekly viewers tune in to watch another good-guy/bad-guy, cops ‘n robbers shoot out.
Why? Is it because Tom Selleck graces the screen with his calm sophistication and underlying charm? If that’s the wrong generation for you, how about Donnie Wahlberg? His dual singer/actor persona hits a girl right in the swoon area. Or, maybe you are drawn to the savvy Bridget Moynahan who navigates a precarious balance between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law while maintaining family harmony and raising a responsible teen.
For me, it was none of these things. It was the FAMILY DINNER. I fell in love with the family dinner. A safe gathering place for family to be themselves and know they are loved.
I saw Donnie Wahlberg was on CBS This Morning. In discussing the rocket-booster popularity of Blue Blood, one thing stood out in contrast to any other drama or comedy on TV:
The Family Dinner.
While other shows mock, belittle and disrespect fathers (moms, too, but mostly fathers), Blue Blood stands as a beacon shining on a value that is being trampled, throttled, stomped on and packed down by our culture. The contempt and disregard for fathers is being demonstrated in every media available to us, and more importantly to our youth.
HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER
This value is at the very heart of our civilization. It’s one of the fibers that binds together republicans and democrats, Catholics and atheists, Mormons and Methodists, blacks and browns and whites, literates and illiterates, rich and poor and Abrahamic religions with one another. Honoring and respecting our parents plants within us a common core and weaves us into a cohesive culture.
When this value is misplaced, society suffers. I see it every day in our headlines and in our homes.
It is no secret that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints place the family at the very heart of the meaning of life. In every meeting love and respect for family wafts through the air penetrating every psyche, influencing every plan, enveloping every heart. There’s even a night set aside (usually, but not always, a Monday night.) especially FOR families to eat together, learn together, play and pray together, grow together.
Family Home Evening.
When I saw that so many viewers were drawn to Blue Blood because of the family dinner, I felt a kinship, a connection with them. I felt a tie binding us together. I felt hope. In spite of what we witness on the media, we are truly one big family.
OK, everyone’s not a Mormon. But, if you are drawn to the family dinner on Blue Blood, then you are experiencing a tiny Mormon moment.
Thank you Grandma Lizzy for all those family dinners.
Here is a family home evening project: Daniel, Lions and Me