Daughter Meets World

January 25, 2025

One of my favorite shows growing up was Boy Meets World. You remember, with Cory and Topanga as the fated couple from middle school on. And of course there was Shawn as the best friend, and Mr. Feeny as the wise teacher who miraculously ends up at every school and institution they journey through. If you were young when you started watching, you grew with the characters. Every new season followed those kids through the same stages of development you were dealing with at home. Dating, puberty, family dynamics, morality - it was all there. As you experienced speed bumps at school, you got to compare notes with Cory’s choices. It was relatable.

The show lasted for seven seasons, with everyone finishing college and stepping out into the real world. Then fourteen years passed and Michael Jacobs, the series creator, made a new show called Girl Meets World. While I’m not usually a fan of sequels (be honest, they almost never live up to the original), this was different. It was actually set up for the perfect continuation of the original story, because it picked up with Cory and Topanga’s daughter Riley in the same place in life they were when the series began. They could use the same formula, and it didn’t feel forced. Even better, they somehow modernized the show without losing any of the original’s heart.

Fast forward another decade, and I have a daughter the same age as Cory and Riley when they started their shows. So my wife and I turn on Girl Meets World, and pretty soon she is hooked. She watches all three seasons, enjoying the journey of the characters through each new grade. I was always talking about the original, but I didn’t know if she would ever be interested.

Remember being a kid, when your parents would try to interest you in entertainment from their childhood? Everything felt like it was fifty years old. There was no way you could relate. The video quality was lacking, and the dialogue clunky. It was hard to even pretend to be interested.

To my surprise, my daughter decided to give it a shot. We were on the floor building LEGO sets when she turned on the first episode. As it came to an end, I asked what she thought, and she clicked on the next episode button. The first season was made in 1993. Now don’t you feel old like me? Two weeks have passed, and we have been watching a lot.

I think that the reason the show still works is that the core message was rooted in how young people navigate growing up. And it involved supportive parents and teachers guiding them. I love entertainment that has something positive behind it, especially for my daughter. It has even sparked some good conversations between us on the car rides home from dance practice.

I admit that none of this is particularly profound. And yet, I have been reflecting on it because it centers on such a routine part of life. The simple moments of laying on the couch with your kid, watching something fun and wholesome, slowly letting the fading worries of life slip into the back of your mind for a little while. I love these moments, and I don’t think they are meaningless.

One last thing. A few years ago I noticed this singer whose popularity was growing wildly. After seeing a picture of her, I felt like I had seen her somewhere else. When I searched her name to figure it out, I was surprised to see it was Riley’s best friend from Girl Meets World. At least that is how I think of her. The rest of the world just knows her as Sabrina Carpenter.