30 Days

There is a show I found on Netflix called 30 days. It's by Morgan Spurlock (he did the documentary about McDonalds food? Supersize Me?) anyway, it's interesting. I like background noise while I do mundane tasks such as unpack boxes and organize things so I've been watching it. I've seen some of the episodes before, but this morning I watched one that I immediately remembered seeing before, because it was just so unbelievable and difficult to watch. There are episodes where a mom who worries about her daughter's binge drinking shows her what it does to one's life and binge drinks for 30 days, where Morgan Spurlock and his finacee work minimum wage jobs for 30 days, etc. I appreciate the overall concept of the show and think that usually it succeeds in its mission--to open eyes.

Anyway, the episode I watched this morning was about an adoptive mom who moves in with a gay couple and their four adopted kids for 30 days.

The gay couple and their four kids are a happy, loving, supportive family. They are wonderful.

As a teacher, I can tell you--if all kids could have happy, supportive homes like that, it would make SUCH a difference in their lives.

You can disagree on this point, but I stand by it: happy homes make happy kids. I don't care if the parent(s) in this home are two dads, two moms, one mom, one dad, or a traditional mom-dad/step-dad/step-mom WHATEVER. If it's a supportive, loving, happy home--those kids are going to be ok.

The adoptive mom was presented with so much evidence--they even went so far as to show her what foster kids live like if they aren't adopted. I appreciate people having different points of view, different belief systems. But it was so strange and hard to watch this woman be so hateful.

The gay couple and their children were very welcoming and kind. She was immersed in the community-and rather than just seeing that those people were different than her but were still ok, she was harsh and condescending. When she couldn't support her beliefs with anything valid, she resorted to saying things like, "I just know in my heart." And "I don't want to go against God."  Which is fine, and what she thinks. But it's also a cop-out and it opens the door to all kinds of hateful beliefs. I just have a really hard time conceptualizing respecting and worshipping a God that is supportive of hate.

There was a very difficult moment when a woman very openly and vulnerably explained to the adoptive mom about why she wants same-sex couples to have the same parental rights as straight couples. She told her that  she had been in a same sex relationship and she and her partner had a son. When her partner decided to terminate the relationship, the woman lost all rights to her son--the son that she had helped raise and that knew her as "mom". It's a heartbreaking situation, to be sure. But the adoptive mom? She said basically--oh, wow, well you had no right to even be mothering a child with another woman so it sucks to be you. ?! Yikes.

It's just hard to watch someone disregard facts and evidence in favor of religious tradition. I get that there are people out there that are against same sex relationships and all that that entails. I get that. But what I don't get is that they are ok with taking loving homes away from children that need them in order to ensure that the "evils" of same-sex marriage or same-sex parenting are avoided.

And, to be fair, I will say that I was uncomfortable watching the adoptive mom have to take flyers around in support of same sex parenting legislation that she was clearly not supportive of. I think that went a little too far. You can't expect her to be respectful without being respectful to her right to have her own beliefs.

It's just heartbreaking.

Anyway, it's a pretty good series and I would recommend it. Especially the pro-choice/pro-life episode. That was a great one. :)