“Let's just watch Bernard...”

Growing up without cable in a household where the TV was always on, Jared and Audrey were often forced to just watch whatever was on. But there were many times of day where the network stations had nothing for kids airing, leaving them with absolutely nothing to watch. Though they had a decent movie collection, there were many times when they just didn't “feel” like watching anything they had.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons were a particularly dead period.

Sometimes, PBS would show Barney & Friends at that time. Of course, Jared and Audrey didn't “officially” (publicly) watch Barney beyond their early years, but Jared felt that when he was feeling particularly desperate, Barney started to sound appealing.

“Let's just watch Bernard,” Jared would say as they flipped through the channels, referencing the show's title character in their own native language.

“Absolutely not,” Audrey would reply. She would sooner turn off the television altogether than watch Barney.

Then, they'd argue. Jared felt that they could watch Barney just to make fun of it. It would be a comfort watch intended for background noise, and if it gave them a few laughs, all the better.

Audrey wouldn't waste her time. They were too old to watch Barney — period, end of story. Jared was sentimental and didn't want to reject their “old friend.” Audrey had no such feelings.

Sometimes, Jared would put it on and Audrey would abruptly leave the room. Other times they both found something else to do. When PBS finally took the show off the air, the debate was effectively settled for them.

But nowadays, echoes of that childhood TV debate remain. While both Jared and Audrey enjoy background noise watches, Jared needs it and can rarely watch anything else. Audrey is fine to start a new, unfamiliar, or heavy series on a dime.

Jared STILL wants them to watch childhood shows for sentimental purposes. Audrey absolutely refuses.  ❐

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