The All American Family

All American Family? In the novel, THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Helen Schulman, the Bergamots move from an upstate college town to New York City. Richard has an executive role at a large New York university. Wife, Liz, has traded in her academic career to oversee the lives of their children. Fifteen-year-old Jake wakes up one morning after an unchaperoned party and finds an email in his in-box from an eighth-grade admirer. Attached is a sexually explicit video she has made for him. He forwards the video to a friend. Within hours, the video has gone viral. It's all over the school, the city, and international. The ensuing scandal threatens to shatter the Bergamots’ beautiful life. They are a good family faced with bad choices and reactions. ******* Once upon a time we lived without internet, cell phones, text messaging and tweets.  Television provided families in series like "I Remember Momma" that had teaching moments. Then family situations increased with Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky. "Leave it to Beaver" revealed kids getting into fun and mischief along with how parents reacted. Archie Bunker provided another slice of life.  Now we have "Three and a Half Men" that moves further away from "Father Knows Best." CREATIVE WRITE: Create a family of four or more. Develop the Grays. Define their relationships and give each individual good and negative qualities.   Develop a "homecoming" situation. Use one of these or devise your own: l.  It's Midnight and mom and daughter haven't arrived home after their visit to the gym or yoga class.  What's up? 2.  Brother has an enterprising "sports card" business on the internet. The Police pay a visit just as he arrives home. 3.  Father travels two weeks out of the month. He has just returned from Fairbanks, Alaska with a limp and facial bruising. 4.  The house with the picket fence has stories to tell.  Something dark occurred before this family arrived. The house creaks at night and someone hears moaning or walking. Lights often flash or electricity fails. There's something about the window to the right of the chimney.  5.  The family dog left soon after their arrival and has not returned home.  Then one day a larger animal arrived to take its place.