Reality TV? No, not "Survivor" or "Big Brother", but more like "Friday Night Lights"...

Let me start by saying that I'm the first to admit I'm a complete TV junkie. Sure, it's the cliched "escape", but life with 3 kids, a husband, a dog and hundreds of breastfeeding mothers makes that a serious requirement. During the summer I do my catch-up "work" on shows I've heard about, yet never got around to watching during the school year. Well, this summer has been all about Friday Night Lights, probably one of the most realistic, intense dramas I've seen in a long time. And no, I'm not a football fan in the slightest, but you don't have to be. This show is about the trials and tribulations of life with football as a metaphor (but not in a cheesy or shove-it-down-your-throat kind of way!)

I know, I know. You're asking yourself, "What does this have to with breastfeeding?" Well, in Season 2, "Mrs. Coach" Tami Taylor (played exceptionally by Connie Britton) shows us the realities of babyhood and breastfeeding. I don't believe I have ever seen a more matter-of-fact display on television. Breastfeeding is incorporated into the dialogue in virtually every episode, almost as often as discussion about the football playbook. In one scene, she comes home from a book group meeting with some friends and had too much wine to drink, announcing to her husband that she needs to go to "pump and dump." In another, she cries to her single sister that her whole life is about dealing with her hormonal 16-year-old daughter, working as a guidance counselor, and breastfeeding. And in yet another scene, there are breast pump pieces left on her office desk and the conversation that ensues between two brothers awaiting her arrival about "what these things are" is not to be missed. What amazes me is that, while so many shows think they're bringing us reality, they don't compare to scenes as simple as these. Do discussions about breast pumps and breastfeeding have anything to do with a show based on the premise of football? Not at all. But the reality of this show does a great job bringing home the feelings, good and bad, that we have about this process. Thoughts? Join me in my forum!