MomAgenda

Why I'm Losing Sleep to Watch 'Up All Night' on TV

By Allison Stevens

WeNews correspondent

Friday, November 18, 2011

The parents in the TV show "Up All Night" struggle to balance a newborn, a babyish boss and each other. Their house is too perfect, along with their grooming, but Allison Stevens says the show comes closer to reality than anything else going.

WASHINGTON (WOMENSENEWS)--With two boys under age 5, I rarely have time to catch my breath, let alone my favorite TV shows.

But I've stayed up late the last few weeks to watch a new show about . . . staying up late.

The central character is the mother of a newborn struggling to meet the demands of work and home.

As a real-life working mom myself, it's just the plot for me. We girls and women, moms and otherwise, need more of this kind of "reality" TV and less of the hyped-up so-called reality shows about desperate housewives and mom-swapping families.

Media that accurately portray the burdens and joys of real-life parenthood will help prepare us for the challenges of parenthood and then allow us to laugh at--rather than harshly judge--ourselves when we fail. It could also have a political effect by raising awareness of, and fueling debate about, the many challenges facing today's parents.

And yet, despite the millions of us out here starring in the daily dramedy of working parenthood, "Up All Night" seems to be the only show that comes close to portraying the reality of working parenthood. That's why I've been giving up some precious shut-eye in recent weeks for the rare opportunity to watch the antics of a character much like myself (minus the gorgeous of course).

In addition to its name, another auspicious sign that the new show would live up to its preview promises is the time slot. It airs on NBC at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, a time when my boys are usually--knock (very softly) on wood--asleep, and, if I'm really lucky, I am too.

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