Parenthood: What Would You Have Done in Adam & Kristina's Situation?

Surprisingly enough I have not yet written about Parenthood. Out of everything I watch on TV (which is a LOT), Parenthood probably makes me think the most.  I absolutely love Parenthood because everything that takes place is so realistic, and I can’t help but wonder what I would do if placed in a similar situation.  Lately I have been trying to imagine myself in Adam and Kristina’s shoes. 

If you don’t watch Parenthood (and if not you totally should) Adam and Kristina are a married couple on the show.  They have two children: Haddie (a goody-two-shoes teenage girl) and Max (a smart boy with autism).  Typically Adam and Kristina struggle with Max- but lately their hardships have been with Haddie.

This season Haddie (who is 16) has been volunteering at a soup kitchen, where she meets a charming boy named Alex.  Sounds fine and dandy right? Wrong.  Turns out Alex is 19 and a recovering alcoholic.  Needless to say, this does not fly with Haddie’s parents.  Although Alex has been sober for 6 months and definitely appears to be a stand up guy, Adam and Kristina fear that he is not good for Haddie.  Consequently they ban Haddie from seeing Alex. Problems ensue (Haddie sees Alex secretively- her parents find out and take away all electronics and her bedroom door- you know the usual).  This creates a huge rift between Haddie and her parents, which culminates in Haddie moving out of her parents’ house and in with her grandparents.

I have tried to imagine being in a situation like this myself.  I don’t have children so it is hard to imagine what Kristina and Adam must feel like.  While growing up, my mother was always very over-protective of me, so when I do eventually have kids of my own I am sure I will be over-protective of them.  If I felt like my daughter or son was in a toxic relationship, I am sure I would try to keep him/her out of it.  But at some point you have to trust your children’s judgment and believe that they are making the right choice.

In the most recent episode, Adam and Kristina did just that- they finally put their faith in their daughter and told her she could see Alex (with certain restrictions of course).  I love Haddie and Alex, so purely from a fan's perspective this resolution made me extremely happy.  But I still can’t help but wonder what I would do if I had been in that situation myself. 

So I ask you guys- what did you guys think of Adam and Kristina’s change of heart?  Do you think they are making a good decision now by letting Haddie see Alex? Do you believe Adam and Kristina had the right to ban Haddie from seeing Alex in the first place?    I’m very interested to see your responses, so please comment below!!

And by the way- I LOVED last week's episode.  Lauren Graham's performance was phenomenal and John Corbett was in it...so I mean come on, how could you not have loved it?