Watching 'The Mentalist' with The Eldest Boy: What Shows Do You Watch with Your Kids?

Image credit: CBS

I’m not exactly sure how it started, but some time this winter, The Eldest Boy and I started watching CBS’ The Mentalist together and, before I knew it, it had become our “thing.”

One night I was sitting on the sofa in the family room just aimlessly surfing the TV channels while the The Eldest Boy was sacked out next to me. We happened upon a repeat of The Mentalist and The Eldest Boy asked me what it was about. I was only able to give him an abbreviated explanation because I'd never seen the show before, plus I loathed its title, really, I loathed it passionately. I couldn’t give him much more than: There’s this guy who helps the police solve crimes because he’s really smart and observes things that others don’t.

This appealed to the bookish Eldest Boy who likes to figure things out and is drawn to characters that are intelligent. So we watched it. When the episode wrapped, The Eldest Boy set the DVR to record all the new installments of the show, as well as all the repeats so we could catch up. And now it’s become something I look forward to, 40 some odd minutes of just him and me, watching an entertaining TV show and trying to figure out the weekly mystery together. (We hardly ever get it right.) I'm thinking that maybe this summer we’ll Netflix the first couple of seasons to watch it from the beginning.

Seeing that I already "share" a TV show with The Girl -- as we've loved watching the Gilmore Girls together on DVD and repeats on ABC Family -- and The Spouse and I have been reading the Harry Potter books to The Youngest Boy, The Eldest Boy is now getting his due.

I’m going to milk this Mommy & Me Mentalist-watching for as long as I can because I know that before long, he won’t want to hang with me and guess who dunnit. And if that means that, in the near future I’ll have to bribe him with popcorn and/or movie candy to tempt him to spend time with his old mom, I’m certainly not above that.

Are there any TV shows that you watch with your tweens and/or teens that you consider your “special” show together?

Image credit: CBS.