The Harmony Family

The Harmony Family is the fifteenth episode of Season 2 of the American Supernanny show.

Episode summary
Jacob (27) and Erin (29) have 3 sons - Jake (11), Ian (5) and Grant (3). The latter two children respectively attack each other. In addition, eating out has led to embarrassment. Furthermore, Grant is noted to evict his father from his bed to sleep with his mother in the middle of the night.

Can Jo help Erin and Jacob restore their authority as parents towards Ian and Grant?

Submission Reel
As the taxi drives through sweeping Midwest plains, Jo views the Harmony Family's cry for help on DVD. Jacob, a construction worker, and Erin, an RN at a local clinic, need help with their children. Grant is a mama's boy who gets upset when Erin leaves the house and bites furniture when he doesn't get his way. "Biting the armchair?" coos Jo with raised her eyebrows.

Ian is the instigator and gets into fights with Grant a lot. Jake is aggravated by having two younger brothers who make so much trouble. Erin says she is the disciplinarian and Jacob says he only disciplines when he feels it's needed.

They go out to eat at least twice a week and are prepared for embarrassment every time. In the restaurant, Grant climbs around, refuses to stay in place and screams when he doesn't get his way. Other restaurant patrons look on in disgust at the family's unpleasant behavior.

At night, Erin reports that Grant will sleep in bed for 4 hours, then brings his pillow into the parents' room and climb into bed.

Erin cries and says she feels her family is falling apart. "You guys need some good help. I'm on my way!" declares Jo.

Observation
Jo arrives at the Harmony Family home. Jake shakes hands with Jo in greeting. Erin tries to get Grant to greet Jo and shake her hand, but he refuses. Ian does shake Jo's hand. Erin has to run to the store, so Jo gets to see Grant fighting to prevent her from leaving. He tries getting into the car, then once Erin gets into the car and drives away, runs screaming down the long dusty road that leads from the house to the highway. Jo reports her confusion at seeing Erin stop the car when she should have just driven away. "What a palaver!" she says.

After Erin leaves, Jo observes what Jacob does to parent the boys. He leaves them alone in the front yard trampoline to play. He and Jo stand near the porch watching the boys tussle in the trampoline. Jake tells them to stop fighting. Jacob calls it playing and goes inside, but Jo declares that it is far too rough.Ian is then seen pushing Grant and he starts crying while Jacob enters the house as Ian and Grant both begin to scream as Jo looks on.

When Erin got back, it was time for Grant to have a nap. When she turned the computer off, he threw a fit. He was putting his fingers in his mouth, bit a backpack, slamming a chair against a desk, then running all over the house, and screaming. Fed up with the chasing, Erin tells him, "If you get off your bed again, you have to in the breezeway!" After more chasing, Erin does put Grant there. Jo calls the breezeway the "cold conservatory area" and notes that with Grant now outside banging on the door and screaming, it has now spiraled out of control. She also notes that Erin in doing this, has "shooed him into the foyer like some pet!". Erin eventually lets him back in, and tells him to quit acting like an animal.

Erin tries to get the boys inside to get ready to go out to dinner. Ian and Grant are fighting again on a John Deere kid car. Grant is trying to get in the car while Ian repeatedly hits Grant. Grant screams and grunts and over this, Erin is telling Ian he needs to stop. Ian just flings his hand in Erin's face dismissively with a pout and scream. "He just doesn't listen to Mum," observes Jo. Erin again notes that she is the disciplinarian and Jacob won't do anything unless he's pushed to do so.

Jo notes that she has just seen Erin do all the work and that Jacob doesn't seem to help out at all. Erin tries getting Grant to walk himself to the car and Grant emits a loud grunting/shouting noise in response. Jo asks, "Is that how he talks to you?", She then Imitates Grant's grunting which Erin says, "Yes, all the time." Jacob stands off to the side smiling for no apparent reason.

The family proceed to eating out at dinnertime. Grant and Ian were constantly moody throughout dinnertime, notably screaming across the restaurant. Grant was making demands for knives, and later on, dessert, which Erin refused to give in at that point. The family exit the restaurant in disappointment, due to the usual bad behavior that Grant and Ian were exhibiting.

Jo then proceeds to ask Jacob to stay over the night on the couch, so she can observe Grant "evicting" his father from the bedroom. Surely enough, at 3:43AM (clock radio time), Grant went down the hallway and evicted Jacob from his spot in the bed, so that Grant can sleep with his mother. Jacob then proceeds to sleep on the couch, and Jo then leaves having seen enough.

Family Meeting
Jo confronts Jacob and Erin about their lazy ways and Jacob about how he just lets Erin do all the work.

Teaching
Jo Starts off playing Football with the rest of the family. Ian, however, misbehaved and tried to hog the ball. Jacob had to put Ian on the Naughty Spot, both outside and eventually inside.

Grant then hit Erin, however She ignored it like nothing happened so Jo came in and told him to not hit Mummy. Jo then asks what is going on, Erin begins to cry saying that it just hurts her feelings everytime he does it. Jo tells her its not time for tears, and they put him on the Naughty Spot however Ian and Grant continously got off it But Erin and Jacob didn't give up and continued to put them back on the Naughty Spot and eventually Ian and Grant gave in to it and apologized.

Afterwards Jo introduced the Separation Technique to Erin and Jacob so Grant will stop chasing Erin in the car when she needs to do something. Erin was a bit worried that the technique wouldn't work but to her relief it does as Jacob is able to make sure Grant was occupied with something else.

Teaching Continues
Jo continues the teaching by introducing the Trading Task Technique so Erin and Jacob can both do different things Because Erin is usually the one doing everything while Jacob just lazes around doing nothing. of handing Erin and Jacob two trays for bags on what their jobs in the house are Erin and Jacob go to work. They do a bit of discipline, Erin does bedtime, dinner, homework, bath time, and gets the kids dressed so they stay like that for 12 to 13 hours as Erin is already sweating. So in order to balance they communicate on who will do what task.

After this Jo introduces the Dining out Technique to stop Ian and Grant's bad behavior in restaurants. So Jo gives them the Idea to give Ian and Grant backpacks with things to do while they wait for food, before they eat Erin gives the boys an explanation that she wants them to sit at the table, use their manners and keep their voices down. However Ian is moaning as Jo tells him if he continues he'll be inside the car so they do the technique and it works.

Before Jo leaves she introduces the sleep separation technique to stop Grant from raiding Erin and Jacob's bed to force Jacob to sleep on the couch as Jacob does bedtime for Ian and Grant, Erin says she's worried cause she thinks it will spire a lot of hand for him until Jo calms her down, later that night Grant attempts to hop into Bed with Erin but she was right on time with the Sleep, separation technique and put him back into bed he attempts again and cycle repeats and luckily Grant doesn't get back out of bed for the rest of the night and stays there as Jo leaves.

Family Test run
the Test run begins with Jacob giving a bad explanation to the boys saying "if you guys are bad in the restaurant, whoever is bad has to go out into the Car" with Jo asking what kind of explanation is that. they proceed with the Dining out Technique to success once again.

After this they attempt the Separation Technique as Erin tells Grant she has to do an errand, however Jacob fails to do the last step with him telling Erin, Grant wants a hug and Holding him down as Jo states their back to Square One as Grant proceeds to chase down Erin.

After this Ian and Grant start to act up however Jacob, instead of interfering or Putting them on the Naughty Spot just watches and does nothing "This is ridiculous, Jacob what's it going to take for you to react?" Jo states in shock as Jacob leaves the room.

Then comes dinner time as Grant screams, then Jacob quietly tells him that if he yells again he has to sit on the Naughty Spot he screams again as Jacob takes him to the spot. however Grant gets of the spot and Jacob chases him with Jo saying he has to stick with it. Jacob then asks for Erin to help him with Jo saying its alright for him to ask for help but asks about some communication between them this cuts to Erin stating she wants Jacob to try a little more then How he's Already doing. In the end Grant does apologize as Jo states she's heading back to the Harmonies.

Parents Evaluation
Parents Evaluation Begins with Jo asking Erin and Jacob if their ready to see the Test run Footage.


 * Clip 1: The Harmony's go out to dinner and Erin successfully follows through with the steps and they eat out successfully again something Jo praises her for.


 * Clip 2: Grant screams at dinner and Jacob taking him to the Naughty Spot. Jacob then asks Erin for help without any communication. Jo does points this out and tells them if their doing it together their in it together.


 * Clip 3: Grant tries to get into the car to be with Erin however Jacob is failing to do the last step of the seperation technique, Jacob simply thinks he should've gotten more time


 * Clip 4: Ian and Grant fight as Jacob watches and does nothing whatsoever to stop it, Jacob simply says he didn't know what to do during that.

Reinforcement
Jo starts of the reinforcement by introducing to Jacob the I See, I Say technique, the technique will be able to help Jacob be quicker with his reactions to the boy's behaviour. Jo does this by playing a little game with Jacob where she holds up a sign with an image portraying something and Jacob having to respond to what that action this, its a bit difficult for him at first but in the end he's able to get fully used to the I See, I Say technique.

Next Jo tells Erin to get dressed because they are going to try the seperation technique again and hopefully not mess up, as in the DVD footage Jo noted Jacob failed to do the techniques last step by holding down Grant and telling Erin he wants a hug. So Erin tells Jacob and Grant and Jacob this time manages to not only keep Grant occupied but Ian as well as they all play with toy horses and build a barn for them.

Now that Jacob is starting to take a bigger role in the house Jo set Ian and Grant up with a game where once Grant hits a light Ian will hit one, however Ian started to get an attitude as he started hitting Jacob, but once again he just sat there while Ian hit him and he did nothing. Jo points this out to Jacob and with a single warning Jacob goes to put Ian on his Naughty Spot with Ian yelling out "Stupid dang butt s***". After a while Ian got of the Naughty Spot with Jo noting this out to Jacob, and once Jacob noticedhHe placed Ian back on the naughty spot. Jacob continues to place him back on the Naughty Spot and eventually Ian apologized.

Jacob and Erin are then seen putting Ian and Grant to bed, after this Jo kisses them and tells Jacob and Erin that Her work is done here and hopes they continue to communicate and co-operate together. Jo then leaves the Harmony's for good.

Unused Content and Secrets

 * In the Opening Four unused Scenes were seen Including a scene with Jo saying "Locking the children outside" and Erin saying "A few minutes of quiet", which was possibly unused from the family meeting, Grant sneaking into Erin and Jacob's bed while saying "Mommy". A deleted part of Grant screaming at dinner during the family test run and Grant screaming with a Coke bottle. It is unknown what segment this scene takes place in however


 * There was also a part in the opening showing Ian screaming in the trampoline during the observation though if you listen closely it sounds like a piece of Grant's screaming while holding on to the trampoline.


 * While its hard to tell what Jacob says when Ian pulls away from him in the observation the opening confirmed what Jacob said which was "We're gonna go outside" Its unknown what he meant by this though.


 * While in the actual episode nothing can be heard from Erin when Grant hits the computer with his fingers. The opening shows a longer version before Jo looks on from behind which shows what Erin said which was "NO".

Trivia
N/A

Pop Culture

 * When the Harmony's were out eating in the observation, Jake can be seen playing with what seems to be a Godzilla toy. You can see it is due to the blue spikes on the back which Godzilla does have in the Godzilla movie series.
 * When Jo began her observation, Grant can be seen playing on a PlayStation 2. It's unknown which game Grant was playing though since it's blurred out to prevent copyright issues.
 * The game that Grant was playing on the computer was also blurred out too like with the example above.

Family members

 * Jacob Harmony, 27 (born October 26, 1978)
 * Erin Harmony, 29 (born October 16, 1976)
 * Jake, 11 (born March 5, 1994)
 * Ian, 5 (born March 6, 2000)
 * Grant, 3 (born February 28, 2002)

Popularity
N/A

Transcript
The Harmony Family/Transcript

Behind The Scenes
This episode was filmed in November 2005.