This past Sunday, Cheryl and I watched a bunch of the old “Andy Griffith Show” episodes on TV Land.  They were all from the first season.  Andy doles out advice to young and old.  Andy puts two young lovers on the path to martial bliss by stopping the feud between their fathers.  Andy teaches Opie about character and how when you give your word, you need to stand by it.
And, just watching these old black and white shows made me wonder just what happened to Andy Taylor?  Why don’t we see sitcoms on TV where the parents teach their children right from wrong? Why don’t we see sitcoms where the fathers are more than cartoonish men who fail at life, love and fatherhood?
I realize that society never was like Mayberry.  I realize that many children are being raised in fatherless homes and 50% of marriages end in divorce.  I do pay attention to what goes on in the world.
But, don’t our children, who spend more time watching TV than playing catch, deserve to see stand up guys on TV as fathers?
Where else is a fatherless boy going to find a good role model? (Yes, Dad, I know there’s still the Boy Scouts.)
Where is a child with a bad father going to learn what a father should be?
When I was a kid, we had to be home at six to eat dinner.  It wasn’t until I reached my teens that I discovered that not all families gathered around the dinner table and ate their evening meal together.  It was a shock to my system.
I realize that life has changed since 1960 – the year the Andy Griffith Show premiered.  I know that women no longer wear dresses and stay at home.  I get that, but did we have to sacrifice the stand up sitcom dads, like Andy Taylor, to have progress?
Someone please bring back Andy Taylor next fall.  That’s a show I would watch.