Spoiler Alert: Content from this blog post is from the March 25, 2015 episode of The Goldbergs

(The Goldbergs Twitter)

Like any good sitcom, the objective is to humorously dance on the border of what’s funny and what’s not, what’s acceptable and what’s taboo. In the case of The Goldbergs last night, they literally dealt with lines of acceptable behavior in ways they haven’t before.

When it gets real, you’re gonna feel…almost as much as those lost boys from that ’80s cult classic.

“So, which boy is lost? His poor mother must be going insane.”

On more than a few occasions in our lives, we’ll get angry. In fact, we’ll get so piping mad that we’ll build everything up that’s bothering us for an explosion that would rival Pompeii. That unlucky person at the bottom better prepare for the hottest lava they’ve ever seen and thought possible. Then, it happens. Bottled up emotions are released and our message has finally gotten across to that certain someone.

Victory at last! Line = crossed.

Barry and Erica stood up to their mom’s ridiculous guilt-tripping antics. It was long overdue. In their minds, if they didn’t do something dramatic, then they had failed as children (self high-five).

The result? They stranded their über (not the car service) loving mom on the side of a road for her to walk home, until she’s rescued and dropped off by a nice police officer.

Uh oh.

The consequence? Succumbing to a bedazzling session that would make Liberace blush.

On the other side of town was Adam and Murray at a Phillies game. As is the situation at most every baseball game, the real exciting action takes place off the field. Adam, determined to prove once-and-for-all that he was in fact a man to his frustrated father, chose the all-too-familiar disgusting stadium bathroom (without decorative soaps, mind you!) as his Death Star to conquer. The only problem was Luke Adam forgot to remember where his seat was…Being lost in a stadium, before cell phones, was a terrifying ordeal. There’s literally almost nothing to do. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack., except this needle is your kid/dad and there’s a time limit with serious fears of never seeing him again.

So, what does a man do in this maze of fear?

A real man (in a split second) is able to prioritize what’s truly important in life and shut everything else out. We refrain from using whatever ammunition we had saved up for our boisterous proclamations and, instead, use our energy to make sure the other person is alright. That’s precisely what happened when Adam finally saw his dad worriedly waiting for him by the car in the cleared parking lot.

Even more important than children (11, 14 or however old they are?) obeying their parents’ sometimes absurd wishes is realizing that parents are in a similar dynamic. They can be argumentative, stern and just as capable of overreacting as their children. Ironically though, parents want exactly what their angst-filled kids want: for them to be happy, independent and to feel safe. And John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” was the perfect song to capture this sentiment at the end of arguably the most sincere Goldbergs episode yet.

One of the best parts about family is that they give us plenty of chances to learn this essential life lesson, with hilariously awkward moments sprinkled in bedazzled on.

It’s as awesome as high-fiving a dolphin.