Super Opportunity

One year when our daughter Katie was in high school she asked if she could host a Super Bowl party for some of her friends. We said OK: our philosophy always was if we had the kids at our house we knew what was going on. In this case the guests were all female and my wife planned the food accordingly. I arranged my agenda so as to avoid the family room.

The volume coming from that area of the house caused me to wonder how the girls could focus the game. When I peeked in I discovered they weren't. They were playing board games, laughing and talking. It was apparent they didn't have any idea what was happening in the game. I went back to my reading, with the game playing in the background when I suddenly became aware that the girls had become silent. Curious that perhaps a player had been seriously injured, I went to check on the girls. They were focused on the TV... watching the commercials. They had no interest at all in the game and probably didn't even know the score. They just wanted to watch the ads.

I must admit that when I it comes to the NFL, I am a casual observer. I am a NASCAR fan and the racing season conflicts with football. I also have a disdain for a certain owner of the local NFL team. I must admit that I do start watching once the playoffs start, mainly because you have to know what the local heroes have done, or could have done, to carry on a conversation with most people. Yes, I will watch the Super Bowl, but then so will most Americans.

If your family is going to sit down and watch the game together, why not seize the opportunity to discuss the commercials. You might even use a numeric judging system. "I would rate that one a 6.5 on a ten point scale." The commericals also could open the door for you to talk about the messages the commericals are sending. You might end up discussing values and the impact that the media has on our culture.

Tim Tebow gives us another issue to discuss. Focus on the Family has purchased commercial time to air a thirty-second spot featuring the Florida State Quarterback and his mom. The commercial delivers a very blatant pro-life message. It also has created quite a controversy. This morning's USA Today sport section features a pair of editorials presenting both sides of the issue. What an opportunity to discuss the issue with your teen!