Parents, I've got a question for you. Have you been watching Glee in 2011? If you haven't, I've got two words for you: why not?
The show set in a faux American high school is a pretty constant target for criticism from the Parents Television Council, but it's everything the non-profit hates that makes it a must-see for moms and dads with a teenager in the house (or a kid headed to the hormone highway). A look back at the episodes of 2011 was like a refresher in the talking points most parents need to keep their kids in line.
Sex Ed in Schools:
Whether you're on the "abstinence-only" bandwagon or believe in handing out condoms, the birds and the bees talk is a must with the kiddos. And you need to know exactly what is being said in health class. For example, if your kids' school is inviting a substitute teacher (Gwyneth Paltrow) with questionable judgment in to talk to the kids about le sexytimes, wouldn't you want to know?
Sexy Sleepovers:
This was the year of parents encouraging their kids to have their boyfriend or girlfriend sleep over because sex under their own roof seems "safer" (or so they say). But Glee writers took the sane approach with the intriguing twist of making Kurt Hummel's dad explain why he couldn't have his boyfriend sleep over. Whether you're parenting a gay teen or a straight one, many of the issues are the same.
Losing Their Virginity:
We can't necessarily control the timing of our kids' first time, but watching teens Finn and Rachel and Kurt and Blaine have sex (the first time for each of the last three) definitely opens the doorway to a talk about valuing your body, waiting for love, and for goodness' sake, using protection.
Bullying Gay Teens:
The horrors of bullying became every more prominent in 2011, with the news that an increasing number of children have turned to suicide to escape the torture that awaits them each day inside a school building. Glee's tackled it from the perspective of gay teens -- one of the most vulnerable groups of American kids in this respect -- with Santana's outing as lesbian by a classmate before she'd had the chance to tell her own parents and the cruel joke of electing Kurt as McKinley High's prom queen.
Teen Drinking:
What more example does your kid need of how alcohol can completely alter your perception and harm your judgment than gay teen Blaine getting schnockered and making out with Rachel Berry? The show's "Blame It on the Alcohol" episode gave us that plus the kids of the New Directions suffering from the illness that follows over-imbibing and some painful drunk dialing aftermath to remind our kids there is a reason for the drinking age.
How do you talk about Glee with your kids?
Image via Fox