First Person: How TV is Helping me Raise my Children -- Lessons I've Learned

Television: Lessons From Andy -- I'm Still Learning Too!

No, I'm not using the TV as a babysitter, a nanny, or a daycare service for my children.  What I'm referring to is some of the lessons that I've learned from watching television.  To be more specific; the lessons I've learned from one of my all time favorite television series -- "The Andy Griffith Show."

On July 3rd, 2016, it will have been four years since the passing of Andy Griffith.  To commemorate this anniversary, I thought it best to share with you the top 5 lessons that I've learned from the Sheriff of Mayberry -- Andy Taylor.

During this very stressful time of year, with holidays rapidly approaching, it's important to remember what is really important -- what really matters to us most.  Hopefully, your answer to this is FAMILY.

Not how much food you can eat.

Not how many presents you can afford to give.

Most certainly not about the amount of presents you will receive.

It's about being thankful for your family and all that you already have.  It's about how much love and time you have to offer to those nearest and dearest to your heart.  And it's about how you communicate those things to your loved ones.

Without further ado, let's get into the "meat and potatoes" this article is about and how you can benefit from it as well.

The Top 5 Lessons that I've Learned from Watching Television

· The Importance of Family Dinners and Eating Together at the Table

· Financial Responsibility

· Respect and Relationships

· Honesty and Integrity

· The Importance of being Consistent

A Closer Look

Lesson Number One: Family Dinners are Important

There was a time when I used to feed my son, on the run -- so to speak.  When Bennie II was just over a year old, I would often feed him while he was sitting in his little walker, and I would be sitting in the living room working from my computer.  

That way I could continue working between bites, or when he wasn't interested.

As I got older, I began to learn the values of eating at the table as a family.  As my son got older, however, he learned that it was okay to not sit down and eat.  

He could just as easily eat in the living room while playing with his toys.  This was a very hard habit to break, and I only wish that I'd have used Sheriff Taylor's technique, of eating at the table, right from the start!

Lesson Number Two: Financial Responsibility

In the show, Opie kept his own piggy bank and received an allowance for doing his chores.  Andy was teaching his son what it was like to work for a living and how to save his earnings.  

In one episode, Opie broke a neighbor's window out with a baseball, and Andy made him pay for it out of his allowance.

My son keeps a piggy bank as well.  I've learned that it is much easier to get him to pick up his toys if I reward him with my spare pocket change.  

He recently broke a Superman light of mine, and he is slowly working at paying it off.

Lesson Number Three: Respect and Relationships

Andy and Opie had a very good relationship in the series, and each showed a great deal of respect to one another.  At one point in the show, Opie picks up a bad habit from his friend and thinks he can swindle his dad into raising his allowance.  

It doesn't take Andy too long to figure out what's going on, but he doesn't get mad or raise his voice.  Instead, he sits his son down to talk things through.  

They both come to an "understanding," by the end of the conversation.

I feel as though my children and I have that same type of relationship and share a deep respect for one another.  Whenever they do something that I disagree with, I always try to sit them down and explain to why it was wrong.  

I always ask if they understand what I just said.  If the answer is no, I try another approach.  This has been an ongoing learning process for me, and admittedly, I still haven't perfected it just yet.

Lesson Number Four: Honesty and Integrity

Probably should have been lesson number one, because this one really hits home for me.  

I absolutely will not tolerate dishonesty in my family.  My children are taught to always tell the truth, no matter what the consequences may be.  Regardless if they think they could get away with a lie or not, they are still always expected to remain honest.  Honest to a fault.  

In fact, there are times when they make mistakes, and are honest about it, that they receive no punishment at all -- except maybe a lecture -- because communication is absolutely essential in building any relationship at all.  

At the very least, being honest reduces the punishment every time, and it's double trouble if I find out they're lying to me!  But, let's get back to how this lesson applies to the show.

I remember one episode where Opie found a large sum of money.  Andy made him run an ad in the town newspaper to see if anyone responded.  If no one responded within a reasonable amount of time, then Opie could keep the money.  

After the time was up, and no one had responded, Opie immediately went out and bought himself a new fishing pole, but not long after, the owner of the money came looking for it.  

Opie returned his new fishing pole and broke open his piggy bank to retrieve the rest of the money for the lady -- even though the money was technically his now!

This is a lesson that I'm continually working at with my son.  When his friends leave one of their toys at our house, it does not mean that the toy is his to keep.  Trying to hide the toys and keep them for himself, is not something I find acceptable, but it's an ongoing process that we're working on.

Lesson Number Five: Unwavering Consistency -- Especially With Communication

I tried to sneak this one into number four, but it definitely deserves its own slot.  Communication really is what it's all about in any successful relationship, but we'll get more into that later on in this post.  For now, let's take a look at the example I pulled from the show, and how it relates.

In the show, Andy Taylor always did the right thing.  Even if it meant communicating that he was wrong.  In one episode, Andy; after just admitting to Opie that he was wrong, tells him to come on down for dinner.  Opie asked what they were having.  

This was Andy's response:

"Well, you and yer Aunt Bee are havin' fried chicken … and I'm havin' crow." -- Andy Taylor

It's this unwavering consistency; Andy has shown time and time again, that I try to strive for with my own family.  I will always have a deep love in my heart for the fictional town of Mayberry.  It's been some time now since the passing of Andy Griffith, but for some of us; Andy Taylor will live on in our hearts -- and our television sets -- forever.  

Check out this cool Youtube video of Brad Paisley and Andy Griffith.

Conclusion

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I'm still working on the "consistency" principle myself.  This is by far one of the most difficult bad parenting habits that I posses, and have the most difficult time overcoming.  

I think that communication is a key factor here, just as it is with many other aspects of life.  That is why I'm working on a series of audio courses to help others understand the power of communication in all relationships.  

Communicating properly, will inevitably help you be more consistent.  Be it family and parenting, intimate relationships, business relationships, or even plain friendships -- communication is the key to success!

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