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Family Events...
Wouldn’t trade places for anything...
By Marybeth Hicks
8/5/11 

A few years ago while I was promoting my parenting book, Bringing Up Geeks, I was approached by the producers of the reality show Wife Swap with an offer to participate in their show. 

If you aren’t a reality show fan, you may jump to the same conclusion I did — but rest assured the premise of Wife Swap does not involve airing an illicit affair on national TV! 

The show’s concept was to trade places with a wife who was my polar opposite. They would put a “cool mom” at my house — presumably one who would allow my young teens to have Facebook pages, crop tops, and boyfriends — and I, the “geek mom,” would live for a week in a home where rules about household chores, homework, bedtimes and table manners were non-existent. 

The producer let me know I’d be paid $25,000 for only five days away from my family, living in another woman’s home. They didn’t offer to pay my husband and kids to live with a stranger, though. 

Was I tempted? Not even for a second! 

First, I could not imagine putting my family through the humiliation of a reality show, especially one that would not result in a kitchen renovation. The whole idea was that the geek family would look... well... geeky, by comparison to some cooler, hipper family. 

But it’s more than that. On principal, I just don’t think marriage and family life should be reality show fodder (sorry, Bachelorette fans!). 

At the time, the invitation was an opportunity to reaffirm my contentment with my own life. Our geeky family style, our parenting strategies, our marriage and our financial situation were all aspects of our life that reflected conscious decisions about who we were and what our values were all about. 

Trading places with someone whose life is perceived as better/freer/richer is a recurring story in Hollywood — in fact, there’s yet another movie coming out this weekend based on this theme (The Change-Up rated R for raunchy humor and a typical, trite message about the grass-not-always-being-greener). 

But the truth is, constantly comparing our lives to others can be a step toward dissatisfaction. 

If the grass looks greener everywhere but in your yard, there’s only one thing to do — water it! Feeding our families and relationships with attention and affirmation is the sure way to have the lawn that everyone else looks at longingly! 

Thanks for reading and sharing Family Events! 

Take good care until next week, 

Marybeth 

This week’s question: Imagine you’re the star of a Hollywood movie about trading places. Whose life would you choose? Or are you content with your own circumstances? Share your insights on our Family Events Facebook page. 

Read last week’s question and answers at Family Events



 
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