Let’s just get it out of the way: I really like Fuller House.  I acknowledge its negative sides but embrace it for the heartwarming, old-school, things-can-be-simple, fun family show that it is.

One of the recurrent questions I get when I mention the show to others is how I can bear to sit through half an hour of sickly sweet television that include unrealistic scenarios, easy resolutions, and impeccable wardrobes for a family who is living a life most North Americans can’t afford?

Now the thing is, yes, it is an over-the-top sweet show, but isn’t that exactly what we need, especially those of us who live with our families?

What Would Hurricanes Look Like in a Fuller House World?

If everyone in North America had a family like the Fuller House families, what would hurricane relief look like?  Would we even need appeals for help?  Or would everyone be so in touch with their families and friends-as-families that they would immediately arise to do what is needed?

They might not look as good doing it and they might not be able to pull off the more complex and expensive things that the Fuller House family and friends are able to pull, but we would most certainly be able to accomplish a lot more than we have and a lot more quickly, as well.

What Would Mental Illness Look Like is a Fuller House World?

I am not a mental health specialist, but I do know that there is a significant percentage of mental health issues—if not all—that require, as part of treatment, a loving and supportive family and community.  How bad would it be for these people to live in a neighborhood where everyone is as friendly, loving, and welcoming as the family whose door is always open?

When it comes to parenting, could perhaps the proportion of women going through postpartum blues significantly decrease just because there would always be someone around?

What Would Teenage Rebellion Look Like in a Fuller House World?

However you put it, adolescence is rough, even for the saintliest of saints.  But wouldn’t it be a lot easier in a world where adults are loving, understanding, and make an effort to listen?  Heck, adulthood would be a lot easier in such a world, too!

What Would Child-Rearing Look Like in a Fuller House World?

The most interesting thing to me is how so many North Americans seem to think that the least realistic aspect of the show is the way that its children are raised.  But the thing is that up to very recently, and to this day in some parts of the world, the village really does raise our children.  And in a way, the Fullers, Giblers, and Tanners have created a village of sorts, and together are raising their kids—while at the same time, each parent taking the primary responsibility of their own.

Final Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should all leave our doors unlocked, spend thousands a year on having the perfect hair, and pack three families in one house as an immediate and failproof solution to all our problems—and these are only a few of the things that I really hope people won’t just copy and paste into their own lives.

But I think it’s important to take a second to look at the cynicism that greeted the Full House reboot.  Why is a sister and a best friend moving into the house of a young widow raising three kids less imaginable today than it was 20 years ago?  And could this cynicism have its roots into the very causes of society’s ills today?  Could a dose of Fuller House help us dream of a world where everyone is, most of the time, happy?  And could we, like Rocki, be able to get over our cynicism and instead, pour our energy trying to figure out how we can build such a network of family and friends?

Have you watched Fuller House?  If yes, what did you think about it?  If no, would you consider giving it a go after reading this post?