Reasons to love Buffy

There are many reasons I and others love Buffy. One of mine is that it made me stronger while growing up. So I figured I should say a few lines about that.

I usually say that I grew up with the characters on Buffy. I started watching season 1 when I was ten-ish, but was always a bit behind on my watching, since I had to watch Buffy on Swedish TV that didn't really prioritize the show and showed re-runs instead of new seasons. Thus I had to wait to get the DVDs on my birthdays and on Christmas. But in many ways, as I grew more confident, discovered that I had skills and could use them, I saw the same happen to the characters. Or vice versa, I saw it happen to the characters, then me. I saw them become more and so did I. Or they simply saw the potential in themselves and so did I. I grew with them, and sometimes because of them. I saw shy Willow get out of her shell, Buffy struggle with her studies and career, Buffy & Giles getting away from the council and thinking on their own, etc etc, and I learned from that. Or I simply nodded and thought "That's right."

Also, you know when you read a really good book, and you escape to another world, away from your problems? Some people say that it can't be the same way with TV shows, but I disagree. Buffy was my escape from bullies and grown ups that either didn't care about my well being enough or simply had forgotten how powerless and aweful children can feel. So I watched Buffy and entered a world where unlikely heroes saved the world, their friends and themselves.

Saying that Buffy saved my childhood might be a bit extreme. But the show definitly made it easier to get out of bed in the morning.