"Here's a story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls..."
No matter how much we may not want to admit it, we all know the tune and we all love that iconic theme song. There are many memories of this All-American sitcom that come to mind when I think of this song. I grew up watching reruns of "The Brady Bunch" on TV Land. When I was young, I did not really understand the dynamics of that family. At the time, I did not realize that I would eventually find myself in my own "Brady Bunch" situation. For many years, "The Brady Bunch" portrayed the typical day-to-day life of an average blended family—well, sort of.
In "The Brady Bunch," there was never any talk about custody battles, child support or visitation issues. In the pilot episode, it was mentioned that Mike Brady's ex-wife had passed away (which would explain the lack of discussion of these issues), but the situation with Carol Brady's ex-husband was never explained. The show simply depicts the life of a perfect blended family, typical of a 1970s sitcom. They immediately loved each other like they have been a family all along. They called their step parents "mom" and "dad," and other than typical silly arguments, there was never much conflict.
In my experience of coming from a blended family, I know this fictional depiction is not realistic, (although, it would be pretty cool if my family had our own live-in Alice). In the real world, there is often a lot of drama when it comes to blending families. This drama is often much more than catching a football to the face. It is definitely not easy bringing two families together. Not only are two families coming together under one roof, but two separate lives are forced to collide. Of course, differences of opinion are bound to present themselves; this often leads to arguments. I know my family has had its fair share of arguments. Calling someone that is not your biological parent "mom" or "dad" can be awkward and uncomfortable at first. Being disciplined by someone that isn't your biological parent is also hard to get used to. For the longest time, it bothered me that I no longer shared the same last name as my mom. I felt as if my sister and I had been alienated from everyone else. It was a very difficult time in my life. To be put in simplest of terms, in general, blending a family is difficult.
There is one thing that The Brady Bunch show depicted correctly. Like I said, the Brady's loved each other like they have been a family all along. Although my family dealt with some difficult situations when we first came together, we have learned to love each other like we have been a family all along as well. My step-dad has stepped right in as the father figure my life was lacking. He and my brothers (step brothers) have renewed my trust in men. They have shown me that men can fulfill commitments and be there for their families. I am eternally grateful for that. Our families have accepted each other. We have taken our two separate lives and created a beautiful life together. People often say that blood is thicker than water. Although this may be true in many situations, I have learned that families do not have to be blood to form an unbreakable bond. I am so happy to come from a blended family. I know one thing is sure, I wouldn't trade my "Brady Bunch" situation for anything in this world.
