TRIPPING OUT

At 44 years old I can still vividly remember the way my older brothers and sister and I used to tease, tickle and torment one another. Maybe that is why I enjoy the new Lifetime reality TV show, Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp. In the weekly series Bristol and her younger sister Willow fight constantly and I find it quite entertaining. Granted, their bickering is less physical than the pushing and sitting on one another until you can't breathe type of fighting of our household. Still it is comforting to know that we weren't the only ones who behave like that and the nostalgia takes me back to those sibling rivalry days.

An even bigger draw for the program though is that it shows off Bristol's home state of Alaska. After watching back to back episodes I ache. It took me a few weeks to realize that ache was a longing to be one of the outdoorsy men that populate the Palin family and entourage. The snow and the landscape and the outdoor activity are reminders that I am a city boy who needs to experience the wilderness. Bristol and her family are completely at home in that Alaskan frontier.

Her family is exactly why I knew I would enjoy the program from the get go. As a conservative Republican I fell in love with Governor Palin's politics when she was introduced on the national stage in 2008 as Sen. McCain's running mate. It has been refreshing to see that the younger Palin women admire their mom and her political courage. The Governor is not the focus of this reality program though she has made a couple of appearances. And as the parent of a special needs child I get a kick out of seeing her youngest son Trig on the show occasionally, too. He and his nephew, Bristol's son, the "Tripp" in the show's title, are both adorable.

I applaud Bristol's decision to keep her baby when she discovered she was going to be a teen mom. It's not been an easy road, but you can tell from the show it has been a rewarding one. As a pro-lifer who is actively involved in saving babies I think we must celebrate when the media gives us a role model. And with Bristol and her family, bickering included, there is much to celebrate!