The Secret Life of the American Mom Who Likes Teenage Movies and TV Shows

Given that today’s date is 9/02/10, in honor of one of my favorite shows from when I was a teenager, I’ve decided to let everyone in on one of my little-known passions. I am 30-something and I still love movies and TV shows aimed at teenagers.

My interest is not just fueled by nostalgia for the John Hughes-era teen movies. I’m an equal opportunity lover of youth-oriented films/shows from all decades. 

Some faves:

*Movies: Mean Girls, The Sure Thing,  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Superbad, Clueless, Can’t Hardly Wait, 10 Things I Hate About You, Adventureland, Election and of course 16 Candles. 


TV Shows: My So-Called Life, Felicity, Glee plus the occasional Degrassi, The Next Generation and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

*Note: The only thing I can’t get on board is the whole Twilight phenomena. I just don’t like vampires.

I dragged J to see Scott Pilgrim Versus the World for our recent date night and I really really liked it while he mostly tolerated it. I’m not even a Michael Cera fan – in fact, I find his characters a bit annoying but I still loved watching Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, Juno and the aforementioned Scott Pilgrim.

It ’s not that I want to relive my teenage years or my early-20s. I’d rather walk on coals and sit through a 3-day Tony Robbins "seminar" than go back to high school. And the only thing good about my early 20s was that my mom's homemade dinners rocked (and I got to enjoy them often since I still lived with my parents).  That said, while I wouldn't want to go back I am definitely still fascinated with the themes in these movies: Crushes on Boys. Rejection. Anticipation for the Future. Struggling With One's Purpose and Direction In Life. Making Bad Choices. Roommate Issues. Parent Issues. Crushes on Boys. Maybe it's because I can vividly remember that time in my life of feeling dazed and confused about what I wanted to do with my life and where I was headed and get a kick out of watching young Hollywood reenact those struggles. Maybe it's because I am just a teenager at heart. Or maybe I'm a cougar-in-the making (I gotta say Zac Efron's getting kind of cute in his uh, still very young age.)

There's a movie coming out called Easy-A. I totally want to see this. And I know I will. But I know I'll do so in the comfort of my own home. Where no one will mistake me for some teenager's mom.