For those of you not familiar with J Walter Weatherman, you are in luck. J Walter Weatherman is a fictional character from the hit comedy Arrested Development, who would help George Bluth (the father of the Bluth family) teach his kids unforgettable lessons. I thought that as Dad’s we can take inspiration from the creativity of George and Weatherman in our parenting. How many times can we remind our kids to close the door, pick up after themselves or simply flush the toilet until we realize we are speaking to ourselves. George clearly got fed up with this and took a more aggressive approach to teaching his kids some life lessons.
This post will explore the lessons taught by J Walter Weatherman on Arrested Development. I hope this serves as an inspiration for us all to get creative in teaching our kids life lessons that stick with them!
Who is J Walter Weatherman
J Walter Weatherman is introduced to the audience in Season 1 of Arrested Development in a flashback to 1981. He is said to have been a former Bluth Company employee who lost his arm in a work accident. He is first seen in his house taking a call from George to help teach the kids a lesson and you also see him petting his three legged dog with his own prosthetic arm (Arrested Development humor). You don’t learn much more about him, but it quickly escalates to teach the kids a lesson.
J Walter Weatherman Lessons
Leaving a Note
In the same episode we are introduced to Weatherman, George is seen seeking milk for his coffee. The milk in the fridge only has drops in it. George throws the carton down and calls Weatherman into action. As George is driving his kids to school, he is speaking to them about the virtues of leaving a note and looks into the back seat to emphasize his point. With his eyes briefly off the road, George does not see a man crossing the road and hits him with the car, ripping off his arm.
The kids are screaming and George yells “Why, if someone would have left a note this innocent man would not have lost his arm, why!” The man then stammers up from the ground and limps over to the back window where the kids are screaming. The kids quite down and the back window comes down and the audience sees it is Weatherman who says “And that’s why you always leave a note.”
Don’t Yell
Fast forward to another flashback scene to 1981 when the kids are fighting in the back of the family yacht. George is trying to captain the boat away from the dock as Weatherman is untying from the dock buckles. Weatherman yells to George to “Tell me before you hit the gas.” With the commotion of the kids fighting George feigns unable to hear Weatherman and yells back “I can’t hear you. The kids are yelling.” Weatherman repeats “Tell me before you hit the gas.” George replies “I guess you are saying hit the gas.” To which he accelerates, and the yacht powers forward with the rope wrapped around Weatherman’s arm and rips it off.
Blood spews out of his stump and the kids are screaming in shock. Weatherman comes over to the kids and points “and that’s why you don’t yell.”
“And That’s Why You Don’t Teach Your Father a Lesson”
You can watch all the lessons here and see what happens to Michael (George’s son) when he tries to use some of his Dad’s own tricks to teach his Dad a lesson. I won’t spoil it for you, but Weatherman is also involved in this act is well.
We Punish Ourselves
I am not sure the George Bluth and J Walter Weatherman lesson learning devices can be put to great use. The childhood trauma they would inflict will make our kids time with their future therapist even more colorful. That said, I know it gets to the point of ridiculous with kids when you are trying to get them to be consistent on a simple task. We often find in our household that we will come up with a punishment in the heat of the moment that ends up being worse for us than our kids. Nobody seems to learn anything and we all end up more frustrated than we were at the beginning.
Keep it Simple
Some things we are working on that we are hopeful are starting to work with our kids are the following:
- Be consistent – If you are asking your kids to do something (put their shoes away, make bed, etc.) you have to be consistent with this. You cannot let them slack off because it is easier for you to do it yourself. Stop in the moment and don’t let anything continue until they complete this task.
- Do as you say and do as you do – You have to model this behavior for your kids. If your kids see you leaving your dishes on the counter, they will read that as the green light for them to do the same. You cannot live a “Do as I say, not as I do” life with kids.
- Make the punishment fit the crime – Get with your partner and establish some pre-determined punishments that fit the behavior that is not being done. No matter how frustrated you may get, you cannot take away friend time for a month, for leaving their shoes out one afternoon. Remember we were all kids as well and ensure the punishment fits with the behavior you are trying to change.
If All Else Fails, Call J Walter Weatherman
Some of the things our kids do (or don’t do) can drive us parents crazy. It is often small simple things, where kids are too lazy or simply just lack the focus on to complete on a consistent basis. That said, they have a lot of wonderful qualities that we must keep in mind when nitpicking the little things.
If you cannot drive action using the above methods, just find yourself a J Walter Weatherman to help drive home your points!
