It’s always fun to acquaint my kids with some of the old sitcoms their dad and I used to watch long ago. This week, I ordered, “The Addams Family” series from Netflix on DVD. The very first episode I watched with my youngest son, age 10, made us laugh out loud because it struck a very personal note in a humorous way.
It may surprise you to know that this particular episode of, “The Addams Family” was (indirectly) about homeschooling! The story began with a school official, a truant officer to be exact, visiting the Addams’ home because Wednesday and Pugsley (the Addams children) have never stepped foot inside a classroom at the local school. One is age six and the other, a bit older; so, the truant officer is set on informing the parents that “everyone sends their kids to school” and therefore, they should too.
Mr. Addams tells the truant officer point blank that he finds it ridiculous people have children only to get rid of them by sending them to school. (LOL) He also emphatically states that he sees no reason a six-year-old child needs to learn to read. The truant officer jumps on that one by responding that although the little girls may not “need” to read while she is six, she will when she’s 26, at which point, Mr. Addams simply states, “See you then.”
In one scene, little Wednesday shows her headless baby doll to the truant officer and explains with delight that after her grandmother taught her and her brother about Marie Antoinette, her brother fashioned a doll to look like the historical figure. (I laughed because I really could imagine some of the homeschoolers I know doing such a thing.) Wednesday’s father goes on to tell the truant officer that he would die from missing his children if they were to go to school. He also tells how his own mother is in charge of the family’s education and shares exciting pursuits with everyone, including the children, such as ballet and art and music and various important life skills.
The Addams children eventually make an appearance in school only to come home crying and telling their parents that schools are violent places because teachers read awful stories about murdering innocent victims. (Of course, in the twisted Addams household, this amounted to knights in shining armor killing dragons in a Grimm fairytale.)
It’s so funny to take a proverbial trip back in time by watching old tv shows with your kids, isn’t it? I notice so much now that I never noticed the first time I watched. Who knew topics such as homeschooling were being subtly worked into comedy sitcoms of the 1980s?
Perhaps next we will see what, “Welcome Back Kotter” has to say!
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
