Parenthood

When I started watching Parenthood during the end of their first season, I had no idea how much the show would continue to grow and challenge its viewers. As the true humanity of each character is exposed to its viewers, I am drawn more and more into the life of the Braverman's. I think deeply about themes of community, disappear and the role of God as they live into issues of adoption, Asperger's, drug and alcohol abuse, emerging adulthood and reality of being human in a postmodern world.

One of the greatest gifts of the show is a resource called, "The Experts Speak." A group of professionals works through what we can learn from each episode, especially in relationship to Max's Asperger's syndrome. After I remove the tears from eyes after almost every episode, I turn to the Experts Speak in order to go a little deeper. For example, in Season 2, Max is preparing for his cousin, Jabbar's visit. He knows the exact time that Jabbar is going to arrive, but when things do not go as planned, he reacts differently. The expert's share:

So we begin to see the world through Max's eyes - he's a concrete, literal thinker and fully expects events to occur when they're supposed to. He can be quite comfortable when events flow as scheduled, but he can't understand the reasons why people change the set schedules. The ability to accept change requires a sophisticated understanding of social relationships, and why people act the way they do. This is at the core of social impairment in individuals with Asperger's syndrome. 

If you are looking for conversation during Parenthood, feel free to join me and a small group of friends on Twitter (@sandykathleen).