Confession: I used to be a reality tv show junkie. It all started when I was a wee lassie and my mom said the most awesome sentence that could be uttered to a kid in the 90s, “I’m going to buy cable.” Whaaaaat? I was going to be the popular kid in the neighborhood with cable tv! Yes, that was a thing Generation Z; very few people had cable tv in the early 90s, so if you had cable your house was thee spot. Basic tv did not have Cartoon Network or MTV and there certainly was no recording or pausing the tv. You had to watch your show while it was on or it poofed into oblivion unless you used a VCR (basically a version 1.0, non-digital DVR that used massive book sized tapes that you insert into it and had to press play and stop to record your show). I was hooked on The Real World. It was a show about a bunch of opinionated, 21-year-olds from different backgrounds that were thrown into a house together with a stocked bar. Not exactly quality tv, but it was a new concept. Watching tv sure has come a long way, especially now that streaming services are offered.
Since becoming a mom, I have cut back on my tv watching, but I am still a sucker for family reality tv shows. Babies and new mommies, veteran mom’s tackling issues, gifted children and families of color all make my heart fuzzy. So I was really excited to hear that Olympic champion Gabrielle Douglas is coming out with a docu-series, Douglas Family Gold, chronicling her journey to the 2016 Olympics. Gabby Douglas won the team and individual all-around events in the 2012 summer Olympics. That competition also established Gabby as the first African American woman gymnast to win gold in the individual all-around event. Gabby is such an inspiration to all children through her determination, discipline, and drive to follow her passion. Her accomplishments are especially important to the black community as she is such a great role model to black children; who encounter a lack of quality role models in certain sports and the overall entertainment industry.
The series premiers May 25th at 10 p.m. on Oxygen. Will you be tuning in?
Mommy Can Learn 