The reason I cannot allow myself to believe the end of Schitt’s Creek is here is because the show has been incomparable in regards to its perfect balance of humor and hope. It is kooky and clever, never punching down when going for the laugh. Better yet, it’s about an imperfect family made of people with strong personalities all bumping up against one another as they deal with the hands life has dealt them together. The love is strong, the kindness is moving, the honesty has made me snort-laugh at times and choke up at others. In other words, it’s the perfect show for parents to learn how to do this thing the right way.
Here are some of the parenting lessons I learned from Schitt’s Creek throughout the six glorious seasons.
1. A great way to reconnect as a family is to lose almost everything and move into adjoining motel rooms for a few years.
2. It’s not the end of the world if you forget the little things sometimes, like your kid’s middle name or their birthday. Every parent does it!
3. If one of your kids goes missing, check the local Amish farms. Or your other kid’s text messages.
4. Icebreaker games are a fun way to bond with your family (unless, of course, you accidentally uncover an underage international incident along the way).
5. Surprise parties never, ever, ever, ever go how you want them to.
6. Before anything else, each your kids how to fold in the cheese. It will come up eventually.
7. It’s not about trying to understand why your kid picks one label over another, it’s about respecting their choice—and supporting them if they change their mind.
8. Once your kids get old enough to drive, it’s cool to share a car with them for help running errands, relaxing Sunday drives, or to try and sell enormous containers of illegal milk.
9. Caring for a friend’s bébé is a wonderful way to gain new appreciation for how big your own are now.
10. The family that lunches at the café together, stays together.
11. Learn how to Google your own nudes on the internet, in order to avoid any awkward requests of your web-savvy offspring.
12. Mothers are willing to do anything for a child who is feeling under the weather. They might even enter their bedroom at some point.
13. Lock the door before you lift your Ebeneezer Scrooge nightgown to do the dirty with your honey, or risk scarring your son for life.
14. Remind your kids to be careful with their hearts and their parts—oh, and to never rob a gas station. These things are easy to forget.
15. If you raise one of your kids to stick to the same wardrobe color scheme as yours, it makes it much easier to borrow his clothes without asking.
16. It’s good to take your kid out for lunch to talk about menopause now and again. Yes, even your daughter.
17. Show up, even if your kids tell you they don’t need you to.
18. Everyone deserves a selfish now and again.
19. Accidents happen and it’s okay. Yes, even if they happen on your brand-new white bedding that you just wrote off.
20. Raise your kids with a variety of important skills, like knowing the street value of a designer bag, how to drive various types of vehicle in any country, and how to get out of an escape room so you can return important phone calls in a timely manner.
21. Family barbecues are a great way to get to know your kids’ friends very, very well.
22. Nothing can prepare your heart for the moment you witness your child is with simply the best person to love them
23. Consult with your kids before anything social media-related, or else risk telling people to follow your business “on tweeters” or live-streaming your oldest child’s history of bedwetting.
24. Family portraits can be huge, but they aren’t necessary.
25. If your kid feels like everyone is growing up around them, remind them that you truly see them, and know they are exactly where they are supposed to be.
26. And most important inter-family communication advice of all? “Gossip is the devil’s telephone. Best to just hang up.”
Okay, that’s enough for now. Time to binge-watch the series from the beginning again, because every time I visit my friends at the Rosebud motel, it feels like home.
