Regression, or the Artful Parents and the TiVo

This Christmas, I purchased an HD TiVo for my parents. My parents are in their late sixties and early 70s, but they tend to be rather technically savvy. My mom surfs the web like a pro and considers any day that does not include time with her Wii and Wii Fit to have been a wasted day. She is also obsessed with Tetris. My dad set up the entire home entertainment system-and this was after he turned 70, mind you. I remember having conversations with him about HDMI versions (we agreed that 1.3a was the way to go) and whether his receiver should be merely pass-through or decoding.

Yeah, I know.


Anyway, the one constant in all of their purchases is that my Mom's first response to any electronics purchase is "No!" My father and I, however, have realized that Mom usually comes around once we show her how the technology can benefit them. This was the case with DVR. Ever since I learned the joys of the DVR so many years ago, I knew that it would be something both of my parents could enjoy. Beyond the benefit of easy recording and convenience, there was that whole thing of "being able to pause live TV while you go to pee" that makes DVR wonderful. My dad had long been sold on it, but my mom...well, "No!"

Now, this Christmas was the first Christmas in a few years that I could afford to purchase something nice for them. I chose TiVo, much to my father's delight. The newer TiVos not only record in HD but also allow one to stream video from Netflix straight to the TV without the hassle of bothering with DVDs, the mail, and such. I had been streaming Netflix through my Xbox for a while, and I was amazed at how easy it was to set up. I also get a couple of the DVDs every month through the mail, but I was never getting the full benefit of my Netflix membership. I figured that once I set up the TiVo and showed Mom and Dad how to use it, I could set them up with my Netflix account, thereby making it a family account that I would pay for and that they could use.

Predictably, my parents loved the TiVo. I mean, who wouldn't? Mom became enamoured with this puzzle game that came with the system, and Dad immediately set about trying to set up the system to record his beloved "Saturday Night Live." I showed them how to add films to the instant queue and how to search for movies and then returned to Chicago. After a couple of days, I noticed that they had watched...a LOT of movies on Netflix. I mean...a LOT. My instant queue was filled with so many films that I myself would never dream of watching. I also started getting "Netflix recommendations for Artful" that were...well, they were not even close. After my initial bemusement, I started to add some titles to my own instant queue and then stopped. At 37, I realized that I had allowed my parents to have full access to my movie viewing habits. Now, I am not someone who likes abnormal films or anything, and Netflix does not deal in porn or stuff like that, but I have had to struggle a bit with this little loss of privacy. Have I really regressed back to the point in childhood where Mom and Dad can monitor fully an aspect of my life?

The point really hit home when I wanted to add a film to my queue but refrained from doing so based on the title of the film and the inevitable questions that the Artful Mom and Dad would ask if it showed up in my queue. It is a Canadian film, a comedy about the struggles in relationships that people go through, a story told through a series of vignettes (5, to be precise). The film received excellent reviews and is SO MUCH better than the title. In fact, there is supposedly very little in the way of risque subject matter other than some salty language. It has been described as similar to "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "American Pie", riotous sex comedies that have a heart. It sounds like a great film...but I refuse to put it in my Netflix queue based solely on my concern over my parents' response if they saw it in there.

The title?

Umm...Young People F****ing.

Yeah, try explaining THAT title to the Artful Parents...