Parenthood: "This kid thing, it's stressing me out"

While I have liked all three of the first episodes of Parenthood, I have one small problem, I hate how there always seems to be a reason for the whole family to end up together, whether it be a charity dinner, a school recital, swimming lessons, a family dinner or a baseball game. In reality, things like this don't happen, especially with extended family. There is no way all of their schedules are conducive of these spur-of-the-moment family events. And before Sarah moved back home did they all meet up regularly? I think not. But the rest of the show is still entertaining so I'll keep watching. I just hope this doesn't go on in every episode, or at least it becomes less contrived so I can overlook it. Anyway, below is a quick recap of this week's episode.

- Max has a meltdown in school and is kicked out. His parents then go crazy trying to get him into a special needs school where they would be able to assist in his development. By the end of the episode, and after showing that they are their son's No. 1 cheerleader, Max is accepted.
- Crosby has been spending much more time with Jabbar. They play games, go on car rides and hang out. Crosby even takes Jabbar to work with him. While there Crosby's girlfriend asks Crosby who he is and he lies. Crosby then has to later explain to Jabbar why he said he didn't know who he was. This makes me wonder, what is it going to take for Crosby to tell the truth?
- Sarah breaks up with Jim, saying the timing is off. Her car then breaks down and is beyond repair so she has it towed away, reluctantly. When her parents offer to buy her a new car, she refuses, noting that she has already allowed them to help her too much. We also see that Sarah and Amber are sharing a twin bed. Things are much too cramped so Sarah considers sleeping on the couch in her father's office in the backyard. At first Zeek is freaked by this idea, which leads Sarah to ask him about the condoms she found in his desk drawer. Zeek later admits he and his wife are having problems, but he also agrees to allow Sarah to sleep in his office. At the end of the episode we also see Sarah go to Jim's house and give him another chance, but was I the only person who thought this came out of the blue? What made her change her mind? This seemed too unexplained for me.
- Adam and Kristina have been so caught up in Max's situation lately, that they have put their responsibilities as parent to Haddie on the back burner. When they forget about her soccer final, they feel awful, but Haddie has no choice but to forgive them. She also has a heartfelt talk with her father about how just because Max has now been diagnosed, doesn't mean anything has changed for her. She points out how things have always been all about Max because of his special needs and now they just have a name for it.
- Julia continues to be jealous of Racquel, mostly because she keeps realizing how a part of their lives this stranger has become. After Adam points out that Julia needs to make the time she does spend with Sydney count, Julia decides she wants to teach her daughter how to swim in her own way instead of having her attend classes. At first this plan fails and Sydney yells at her mom for almost drowning her, but not too long after Sydney swims on her own, a moment that makes Julia feel especially proud.