“Pretty Little Liars” Left Its Mark

Pretty Little Liars has broadcast its final show.  Granted the show was sometimes a little improbable and the twists and turns and characters that came and went made it hard to follow.  The end of its run marks the end of another chapter in my life.

We have recently become empty nesters. Our three kids have all gradually moved out over the past 9 years. First, Klayton moved into his dorm at Arizona State in the fall of 2008. Then Meredith moved to Rock Island to attend Augustana College in the summer of 2012. Finally, Skyler flew the coop late this spring having decided he was earning enough money at GlobalTrans to make ends meet.

As a parent I am thrilled with all of their present circumstances. We have a wonderful daughter-in-law in McKenna, boys who are well respected where they work, and a daughter who will soon be transferring to the northwest to help her firm solidify a new office.

I loved watching PLL, but not because it was critically acclaimed for the acting or writing.  I loved the show because of how I got hooked.  The hook was my daughter, at the time a junior in high school. One evening she asked me to sit with her to watch a show called Pretty Little Liars.  It was only the third or fourth episode in its inaugural season, but I found I was completely lost. Despite my annoying interruptions she asked me again the next week to watch it with her.  Pretty soon it was our standing father-daughter date.

It wasn’t long before her classmates, my students, caught on that I was watching.  They thought it was pretty funny that I had embraced the show. They quizzed me on the characters and the plot.  They were amused, but for the most part respected that I had an interest and an understanding of the mystery of “A” and then later “AD.”  But it wasn’t just her class, it was seven years worth of students who shared the experience of PLL.

After Meredith headed off to college, PLL became must see TV for her mom and me.  As Deanna and I sat and watched the dramatic final episode, I felt a little melancholy when I realized one of the final links to our kid’s youth was passing.  At the very same moment there was also a sense of gratitude remembering how I came to be a fan.  Thank you, Meredith, for inviting me to watch with you.   You opened up a path to many wonderful memories and to a common ground on which many positive relationships with students were able to take root due to the teenage drama starring Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer.