I said I wasn’t going to watch this show, but some-how-or-nother I got sucked into it. I spent the last hour watching Wife Swap. On one hand, I think it is a sort of sick idea, but on the other hand (if this episode is any indication), it seems to really make people appreciate what they have. It makes me realize how crazy people are in general and what extremes can be found in this nation. It also makes me realize how lucky I am to have grown up in such a great family. I think that ABC must try really hard to find the most polar opposite families for the swap. Lets look at tonight’s two families:
Family A – California:
1. Three boys
2. Mom wakes up at 5:30 every morning and works out for three hours every day – she is a former body builder. She eats raisins when she is hungry.
3. Boys will be woken up at 6 in the morning if they don’t finish all of their chores – which include laundry, dishes, and trash.
4. Father is OCD and cleans compulsively.
Family B – Florida
1. Two boys
2. Mom doesn’t cook – if it can’t be microwaved or picked up – it isn’t eaten in this house.
3. Boys are never woken up, Mom thinks they should be able to sleep as late as they want to.
4 . Father has never cleaned anything in his life. Neither have boys. Mom does everything.
So they swap for two weeks, and the first week the mom follows the other mom’s routine, and the second week the family follows the new mom’s routine.
If you can’t tell, this is a disaster waiting to happen. OCD father can’t follow the rules, Mom B can’t work out for three hours a day…….I guess it is kind of interesting to watch, but also a bit painful. Not something I would set the TiVo for, if I had a TiVo. But I don’t even like to think about what else would happen if I had a TiVo…..I have a bit of an obsessive personality.
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 
Leave a Reply