Comedy Turned Tragedy on Family Movie Night

When Family Bonding Goes Awry

By Kyle Weber

 

"What are you doing? This is the men's bathroom..."
Mom to my right on the couch in the family room,
Dad on the recliner full attention on the TV screen,
How would I know to prepare for such a scene?
Should I make a break for a popcorn refill?
Maybe sweat it out and stay completely still?
I look down, twiddle my thumbs, the room absent of a word,
Not even a black out could cure something so awkward,
They call it a comedy but I seem to have misplaced my joy,
"I love you, stay golden Ponyboy."

 

 

Tweens and teens alike experience some of the most uncomfortable moments of their lives while in the presence of their family members.  Author, Kyle Weber, addresses said tragedy in his poem "When Family Bonding Goes Awry," from the compilation of poems Life and Times of the Social Caterpillar.  Weber, a family man himself, alludes to his favorite comedy of all time, Step Brothers, to begin and conclude his poem.  The absence of most of the scene's dialogue allows for the first person speaker's interjections of his/her decision making process when posed with a threat of extreme awkwardness.  The author utilizes rhetorical questions in order to exhibit the unease of the child.  As many US teenagers can attest, awkward moments with family increase tenfold per adult family member involved, which requires careful escape routes to avoid such uncomfortable situations.  The speaker brainstorms several potential outs prior to settling for torture.  The speaker's first option: "popcorn refill" (a favorite among experienced young adults) exemplifies the willingness of a child to do things otherwise uncommon to them in order to avoid situations they find unappealing (5).  By posing it in question form however, the author implies the lack of experience the speaker has in the area of avoiding awkward family matters.  The speaker settles for "[sweating] it out" which indirectly characterizes the speaker as lazy which ultimately provides a synecdoche for adolescent children everywhere regarding the magnetic attraction between the seat of their pants and a couch (6).  Although this paints the speaker in a negative light to would-be parental audience members it also displays a willingness to tough out the trials and tribulations of going through the teen years at home.  The speaker seems relatively new to the process of uncomfortable retreat which explains his/her surrender.  "How would I know?" provides minimal ethos for the speaker in said department which ultimately supplies a mistake for audience members to learn from (4).  Moral of the story: Middle school children must learn inconspicuous ways to avoid awkward family encounters, especially during films as the speaker experiences.  Additionally, parents and family can take away from Weber's poem what to do and what not to do as a source of family bonding.  Inappropriate films do not fall under the what to do category.  The poem provides an example of failure, however, families must learn from the speaker's mistake and grow closer without watching movies containing uncomfortable content.