lunch with lee(WE ARE FAMILY)

Today’s menu: Potluck surprise.

The Brady Bunch- For those of you old enough to remember the series, hum the theme song while I explain the premise to a younger generation. A family sitcom about a woman with three daughters and a man with three sons. They marry. The blended family is born-husband, wife, six kids, live-in housekeeper, dog and a cat. Circa 1970.

Fast forward 2016. Change. Lots of it. The blended family as we know it, continues to evolve. And with that evolution, comes challenges.

Discipline: ‘You’re not my mom/dad . You can’t tell me what to do.’ How many times has that line been tossed around?

Interfering exes: 1. ‘Don’t have your new bitch/man around my child.’ 2. Baby mama drama(Google search)

Accusations: Stepmom/dad is wicked and or abusive.

Manipulative kids: 1. Hysterical mom to teen son, ‘When did you get? I thought I told you no tattoo!’ ‘Dad signed for it last weekend.” 2. ‘Ahh, Dad, you got me the Iphone 6. Well, Mom promised to get me the new gold Iphone 6 plus.’

I could stop there but I won’t…delinquent child support payments, weekend visitation screw ups, custody battles….

Unlike tv and the 70’s sitcom, all can not be resolved in thirty minutes. And certainly the average blended family doesn’t have the luxury of a live-in housekeeper who also cooks. And a stay- at-home mom.

With that said, Is there such thing as a Modern Day Brady Bunch? Are You Out There?