05x07 - Super-manny Special: The Marko Family

[bunniefuu]

Meet mike ruggles, a developmental therapist

From the windy city. Well, we're kickin' you guys out right now.

[Girl shrieks] mike's been helping troubled families for almost years...

Aah! Just like that.

[Shrieks] too late. Too late.

And tonight he meets the marko family.

[Crying] I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to put you in your room.

You gave it to yourself. I'm sorry. Knock it off.

Daily battles between this angry father and daughter

Are threatening to tear the whole family apart. It upsets me.

At this point, you're grabbin' her. [Man] totally uncalled for.

Mike's gonna need every trick in his playbook

To bring this family back together.

So the spanking... I hate it.

But will it be enough to save them?

Sit down. Now. [Giggles]

[Buzzer, electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

[Telephone rings]

Hello?

I'm mike ruggles, and I've been a teacher

And developmental therapist for almost years.

It's hard to be a parent. It's--there's no days off.

My parents divorced when I was ,

And I rarely saw my dad, and at this point...

Yay! I have no relationship with the man

That should have been my role model. Cheers.

[Mike] cheers! But that experience helps me in my calling...

Oh! Oh! Get it! Ohh! I thought you were gonna get that.

To help parents relate to their kids.

Better make sure you're always praising her.

"Good. That was a great job." My philosophy is simple.

Yee-hee!

I believe in having fun and understanding kids,

And I'll do whatever it takes to get a family back on track.

[Boy] hi!

[Mike] this week I'm off to california

To meet the marko family--

Doug, tracy and their three daughters...

Sit--you're in a time-out-- and stay there.

Jacinda, who's months...

Alexa, age

And gwen age ...

[Screeching] [doug] hey.

[Clatter] [doug] gwen.

You better march your little buns back down here

Right now and pick up this gate.

No,you pick it up. Come here! [Tracy] excuse me?

Gwen's always pushing the envelope.

She's always pushing our buttons. [Crying]

[Doug] she has no respect for authority,

No respect for myself. [Shrieks] I'm coming right now!

Homework with gwen is usually between hour and a half

To two and a half hours every day.

Go finish your homework.

I don't want to!

I hate homework. Now leave me alone, woman.

The first thing that comes out of me is yelling.

Sit down!

Put it back now.

[Speaks indistinctly, cries] sit down! Stay there.

[Doug] I feel if we don't get some help soon,

That we're gonna go up to the point of no return

Where things just can't be patched up anymore.

Where's dougie now?

Sitting at the computer while I have baby,

Getting dinner ready--

Tracy, damn it, you just asked me.

I just told you what I'm doing. [Chuckles]

And now you're sittin' there telling the camera

That I'm being a lazy ass again.

I think somebody needs to help my family,

'Cause my mom and my dad are angry.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] the marko family is really in trouble.

I have no time to waste.

I have about a week to really turn this family around. [Doorbell rings]

Hello. Hey, how are you?

How you doing? Doug, nice to meet you. Mike ruggles.

Doug. Nice to meet you. First impression of mike is biker guy--

Big boots, bald head.

Mike ruggles. How are you? Good to see you. Good.

When mike first walked in, it was like seeing

A big teddy bear. He wasn't at all what I expected. This must be gwen. Hi, gwen.

[Doug] yeah. You know, you just missed gwen's expl*si*n.

[Mike] oh, there she is. [Alexa] mike looks like a big giant.

He has a bald head...

With no hair.

Straight off the bat, I've got a big surprise

For doug and tracy. Well, we're kickin' you guys out right now.

We're gonna go. We're--we're leavin' the house. Here we go.

Okay.

We're goin'. You guys, I'll be right back. Stay there.

When mike kicked us out of the house,

It kind of sideswiped me, and I didn't know what was goin' on.

[Mike] while doug and tracy are watching on the monitors,

I'm gonna take the girls to do some role play,

So I can see how they really feel

About their parents' behaviors.

All right, I'm back. Thank you for waiting.

We're gonna do a game called, uh, "act like mom and dad."

Who would like to be mom, and who would like to be-- I want to be mom.

I want to be mom. All right. Then I guess I will have to be dad.

[Gwen] okay. Go.

[Growly voice] you don't have any money!

You don't have a job! I'm trying really hard. I'm tryin'!

I don't care!

Oh, lord. What is she doing?

[Mike] can we move on to our next one?

Show me what happens when you need to get disciplined, okay?

All right, so you be dad, and I'll be you.

Spank me and take me up to my room.

He would spank you? Yeah!

He'd drag me upstairs like this.

Okay, this is what I need you to show me, 'cause you're dad.

When gwen and I were role playing

The discipline part, it always included me being grabbed,

Me being pulled up the stairs as she's lookin' at me

With thisreally angry face. [Grunts]

Aah![Laughs]

[Mike] ow!

[Gwen] bam!

They always throw you into bed just like that,

Or is that just sometimes?

That's all the time. [Crinkling wrapper]

When I brought the girls downstairs again,

Gwen opened up her heart even more.

So the homework, um... It's hard.

You never wanna do it.

So you're at the table.

Piece of paper's on there.

You--can I be you, and you be dad?mm-hmm.

Okay. I don't get this! I don't get--

Try to figure it out.

It's hard!

I don't care. Figure it out.

I don't ever tell her that. [Tracy] I know.

It's too many problems. No, they're not.

Do your homework, or you're not playing outside.

I don't wanna do this!do it!

After the homework role play,

Gwen then dropped a bombshell.

Your parents, uh, sometimes call you names?

My dad used to call me spaz.

My dad called me stupid last night.

Your dad called you stupid last night?

How does that make you feel when he calls you stupid?

Mm.

I don't care.

I see your shoulders,

And they're like, "I don't care."

But sometimes your face, when he calls you it,

You look kind of sad. It made me feel embarrassed to hear gwen say

That we fight a lot and that I'm short-tempered

And impatient with her. Show me what your dad looks like when he's mad.

Just--oh, my god. That's-- is that what it looks like?

The role play was really enlightening for me.

It really shows that gwen gets nothing but negativity

From her dad. I think the key to helping this family

Is healing doug and gwen's relationship,

And I've got my work cut out for me.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] after what I learned from, uh, talking to the girls,

I need to have a serious talk with doug and tracy.

I'mvery concerned about doug and gwen's relationship.

So it seems like gwen feels she has no connection to you.

She has none whatsoever, it seems like.

There has to be a reason she wants to please you,

And right now she could care less if she does or not.

So what I'm really trying to do is put you

In the best possible light I can, 'cause right now

There is no good light for you at this point. Yeah. Yeah.

Do you think gwen feels loved by you guys?

I'm upset with her more than I'm happy with her

At this point in time.

And you carry that anger.

You carry that throughout the entire day. Yeah.

You can't let it go. You can't-- a lot of it.

Was this the type of environment

Either one of you guys grew up in?

I did, yeah. I grew up in an angry environment--

A lot of yelling and screaming. Both parents?

Father.

After talking to doug, I realized that he had

A fractious relationship with his dad. I can relate.

I had a pretty bad one with my dad as well.

But that's still no excuse to do what he does.

So the spanking... I hate it.hate it.

You know it doesn't work.

Still do it.

Why?

I think it satisfies me for that millisecond.

You do it for yourself.

You know it's wrong, and it's your outlet. Mm.

It's gotta stop. You know it. Yeah.

So we gotta find a way for you guys to get out

Whatever frustration you have without it being on them.

I know you think I'm the salvation.

I'm gonna--i'm gonna show you a lot of stuff,

But you're--you're it. We need you to be on board.

I want to do it. I want to do it.

You, too?

Absolutely. I have one week with the markos,

And they really need a lot of help.

If they're willing to put in the work

And to follow my strategies, I know we can fix this.

I know we can make it work.

Coming up...

Too late. Too late. [Shrieks]

Gwen has a meltdown, so mike takes over...

I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to put you in your room. [Crying] no!

We're gonna have to close the door. I'm sorry. No. Daddy! No! Daddy!

You haven't given him any other choice.

We have no choice, gwen. You gave it to yourself. I'm sorry.

[Crying] and what will happen when doug has to look after the kids

And do all the chores for the first time ever?

It's gonna get worse. You--breathe. [Girl crying]

This could go on for a couple of hours.

[Buzzer]

When "super manny" returns.

[Electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] later that evening, when it was time for gwen

To go to bed, she decided to start pushing dad's buttons.

[Shrieks]

She had to go to bed, and she didn't do it,

And she threw a fit,

And inside, I was pretty angry.

[Gwen] stinky!

This is the perfect opportunity for me to show doug

How to keep his temper under control.

Gwen, why are you acting this way?

Hmm? Hello?

Okay, why don't you get a little closer?

Right. Maybe ask her if-- how's she gonna get up there?

How should we get up there? How do we--how do you want to get upstairs?

I want you to carry me by my foot.

Okay. I'll carry you by your feet then.

No! No, I want to read!

Nope. [Shrieks] I want to read!

Too late. Too late. [Screams and cries]

Aah! Shut it.

I don't want to hear the lip. Just be quiet.

Sit in your room. [Shrieking] no! No!

Yep. Stay right there.

I could feel my blood pressure just going through the roof

At that point. She still thinks that there's a way

She can get this to work. Yeah, yeah. She's pushed my buttons.

I know, and you're-- you're doing a good job. [Gwen crying]

I know that you want-- but she's gotta know that... [Shrieks]

You're gonna stick to your g*ns.

She's still--she's gonna continue to do that until she

Thinks that there's gonna be some consistency here. Doug and I came downstairs

Hopin' she would get the message. No such luck.

[Doug] okay, gwen, you're done.

[Gwen] you are stinky cheese that's been living

In the refrigerator for years!

[Mike] I sensed that doug was about to lose it.

Go to--go. Just go. [Teasing voice] no!

Go. [Laughs] no.

Go! So I stepped in, and I took charge.

You know what you did? No! No!

All you--your parents tried to help.

Your parents tried to help. You don't want any help, you know? [Crying] no!

You don't want any help.

I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to put you in your room.

We're gonna have to close the door. I'm sorry. No. No! No! No! Daddy!

You haven't given him any other choice.

We have no choice, gwen. No-- you lost your choice. I'm sorry.

No, daddy! No, daddy! No! [Crying]

He doesn't have any reason to help you.

You're gonna have to stay in your room.

You lost your choice, gwen.

I'm sorry. You brought this-- you gave it to yourself.

I'm sorry. You're upsetting everyone involved, gwen.

Just leave her.

You're just gonna have to leave her in her room. That's it.

[Mike] because I had doug remain calm and firm... [Whimpering]

Gwen finally stayed in her room.

I feel that if I hadn't, he was gonna really start to get angry,

And things would have escalated,

And we'd have been there all night.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] the next day, I wanted to show the marko family

A strategy I had

So what happened last night doesn't have to happen again.

It's called the whack-a-pillow.

I know you guys get frustrated with each other,

And that's natural.

You know, I've seen there's some hitting,

Some kicking going on, but I want you guys to be able

To do your frustration in an appropriate way. [Tracy] gwen, sit up, please.

[Gwen] no. So what I got for you... The whack-a-pillow!

[Doug] whoo-hoo! [Alexa] whack-a.

So instead of whacking each other,

You guys get to whack the pillow.

[Mike] when children get frustrated,

They typically act out and are physical with each other.

This way, it gives them an appropriate way

To release that stress and aggravation.

[Tracy] mom wants a turn. Mom wants a turn.

[Making swishing sounds] oh! Mom's doing karate-a-pillow. Good!

Hey, come on. Oh--cooper! Wait, wait, wait. Hold on.

I'm worried about cooper. [Doug] the whack-a-pillow, I think, is a good idea.

I'm hoping that the kids will use it

As just to--to smack around for, you know, when they get upset

And even for myself. So let's make sure we keep it in the same spot

So they know where to go.

It's gonna go in the living room on the sofa in there,

And that's where it's gonna stay.

So if you guys feel like you're getting mad at each other,

I want you to come over and whack a pillow!

Whack-a-pillow, whack-a-pillow, whack-a-pillow.

I know. It works. America, it works.

Whack-a-pillow.

♪♪♪♪♪

Another troubling issue in this house is homework.

Sit up...

Correctly and do your homework.

You know how to read... [Mike] a lot of kids hate homework,

And the way doug deals with it just makes it worse.

Start here and keep going.

Sit down on your butt and get your homework finished.

It's like he's forgotten what it's like to be a kid.

It's time for me to remind him.

Let me give you a little scenario, okay?

Uh, you've been at work for eight hours.

You've been working hard all day long. Lots of paperwork.

Lots of paperwork. You walk through the door.

Your wife then sits you down in the chair,

And she says, "all righty, here we go."

You know, how does that make you feel?

No one would want to do that.

And again, metaphorically speaking,

This is how she looks at it. This is how she sees it.

When he plopped that big pile of paper down... [Laughs]

It was kind of like, yeah,

That's probably how she does see things.

I'm gonna try to give you guys some ideas of what we can do.

First thing we want to do-- always present it--

When she brings you the packet, whatever--just whatever

She has to do that night, just have it here

So it--it's not overwhelming, that big, giant packet...right.

She thinks she has to do the whole thing.

Number two--i'd like to give her a break when she comes home.

Imagine holding it together all for the last eight hours,

Then you gotta come, and you gotta do it all over again.

Really be sympathetic. "I know this is hard.

What can I do to help? What are you having a hard time with?"

And when she starts getting really anxious and antsy,

Try to give her that break. Let her get a chance

To run around and dance around. Doesn't have to necessarily

Be on the computer. Let her move her body.

I don't know if I can agree or disagree yet with his tips,

But we'll keep our fingers crossed

That it's going to make things much easier

On the homework home front. So the--the next time homework comes,

I want you to try these methods, give 'em a sh*t,

And I guarantee you you're gonna get better results at it, okay? [Doug] sounds good.

All right, thanks, guys.

Coming up--

Mike makes doug do something he hasn't done in years...

We're kicking you out of the house.

Doug, you are gonna be taking care of stuff

For the rest of the night. No!

But when gwen realizes, she freaks out. [Crying]

Sit down and... [Shrieks]

Chill out. No!

[Buzzer, electricity crackles]

When "super manny" returns.

[Electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] it's time for doug to step up to the plate.

Uh, tonight's his opportunity to show us that he is ready

To be the father he says he wants to be.

So I had doug look after the children,

Do all the chores--uh, something he's never done before.

We're kicking you out of the house.

Doug, you are gonna be

Taking care of stuff for the rest of the night.

We're kicking you out. You get to just go. [Tracy] yay! Okay.

I-i was pissed off. I didn't want her to leave,

And I was like, she gets to go and play

And do whatever she wants. She'll be back. I'll be-- I'll be back in a second.

[Tracy laughs] no. Gwen, stay there.

I'll be back in a second here.

Okay, come here. Hold on one second. Gwen? Gwen?

I heard gwen crying, "no, don't leave us."

It's their dad, and that's what makes me sad,

Because they shouldn't feel that way.

[Doug] come in. One... No!

Two.

Aah!

Come on. Come on. Come on. [Whimpering]

And no more meltdowns.

You have another meltdown, andi'm gonna leave.

Doug is not off to a real great start with gwen,

And it's not gonna get any better once he sees

The list of chores I have for him.

It's gonna be a big challenge for doug tonight.

Not only does he have to keep the family under control,

He's gotta keep his temper under control as well. So we want you to be able

To really just prioritize this list.

Look at what you think is gonna be the most important.

Let's get it done and-- how about the most difficult first?

[Chuckles] well, again, how you want to do this. It's up to you.

Okay. All right. It's my list, huh? It's your list.

All right.

Can you do this for a few minutes--ten more minutes?

And then we're gonna start homework, all right? Mm.

Well, I'm gonna go start a load of laundry, okay?

Mm. All right.

♪♪♪♪♪

Okay, time's up! [Imitates buzzer]

No!

Everyone to the homework table. No, no, no! [Shrieking]

Gwen, chill out. No, no, no!

[Mike] gwen is not gonna make this any easier for doug.

Right off the bat, it's homework time, and she's having a fit.

I hope doug remembers the homework tips

That I suggested for him.

He needs to remember what it's like to be a kid.

Keep it simple. Don't overwhelm her.

Okay, gwen, just this page will do right now.

No! [Sobs] you guys, this is-- honey, just one.

Lookit. Lookit. Just that page.

Gwen, just one page, that's it. [Wailing]

I know you don't like homework.

[Sobbing]

Gwen started to have a meltdown

And--and started to really push doug's buttons.

Unh-unh-unh-unh. We're not destroying our homework,

'Cause we-- yes, we are.

No, we're not, gwen. Yes, we are.

Okay. You know what a thinking cap is?

[Mike] doug's really trying. He's--he's relaxed.

He's calm. He's keeping under control, especially since gwen

Is not listening to anything he's saying.

Either she's gotta come back to her homework...

[Thud] or we have to go take the time-out.

Gwen, you need to choose which one you're gonna do right now.

Unh-unh-unh-unh-unh-unh! Now you're destroying stuff.

Do not--okay. [Grunting]

I think it's time that you're gonna go in a time-out

Because you've left me no other option at this point. No!

Keep reminding her she-- she made this happen. You're in a time-out.

She's the reason for this. She--you chose this.

I just wanted to step up to the plate and just do it.

[Mike] how long is she here for? [Doug] you are here for...

[Barks] not that long. [Chuckles]

She was gonna serve that time-out,

You know, if it k*lled me. Stop. Okay? Sit down and...

[Screeches] chill out.

No!okay?

[Mike] start it now. It's starting now. If you stay there--

If you decide to get up again, then it's gonna keep going.

How much time is this? Okay. Starts over again, gwen.

If it wouldn't have been me slacking off in the first place,

All this crap wouldn't have happened with gwen,

And I wouldn't be, you know, where I am today. [Exhales]

When you're trying to change a behavior,

It--it's gonna get worse. Breathe. [Gwen shouting indistinctly]

This could go on for a couple hours.i know.

But this is where it has to start now, okay?

This is where it has to start now. You can do this,

'Cause you've been doin' it. You've been doin' it so far. [Singing indistinctly]

She needs to know that there's nothing she can do

That's gonna break you, man, all right?

So we may have to do this for a while. Keep it going.

Hey, keep it going. You're doing great, man.sure.

She wants to break you. She can't do it.

[Crying]

Gwen, you have less than a minute now

Because you were on the stairs. So come on.

Come back downstairs.no!no!

Yeah. You need to come back down the stairs.no! No!

No! No!

Now tell her-- sit there. You're got another minute now because--

Okay, you're startin' over, gwen!

[Mike] he brought her back from upstairs and down

At least to times, keeping his cool... [Shrieking]

Multitasking through the entire thing.

Lexa, can you come help daddy

Put the plates on the table for dinner? [Crying]

Her seeing doug stay to this and keep his word

And be consistent,

She finally just stayed in her spot

Like she knew she was gonna have to,

'Cause she was gonna keep being brought down. Mommy!

Okay, your time's up! Thank you for serving your time.

It's been a pleasure working with you.

After that, we were back to doing

What she needed to be doing and back on track.

Can you come join us for pasta?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah? Okay, come on.

♪♪♪♪♪

.

That's correct. Good job. Whoo! Thank you.

I'm gonna give you the pillowcases to fold, okay? Okay.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] at the end of the night, doug had the dreaded job

Of putting the kids to sleep...

[Speaks indistinctly] okay, it's bedtime, guys! Let's do it to it.

You said I could stay down here. No, I didn't.

But he handled it like a pro.

Come on.

Good night, guys.

[Doug] come on. Say good night to mike.

[Gwen] good night, uncle mike. Good night. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

I couldn't be prouder of doug about tonight.

I honestly didn't think he was gonna be able to do it

As well as he did. Thank you. I love you.

Mm-hmm. I'll see you in the morning, okay?

Mm-hmm. I hope I was able to prove something to tracy,

And I know I proved something to myself--that I could do it.

[Mike] when tracy came home, and when I showed her

That everything on that list had been done,

She looked shocked. She looked pleasantly shocked.

He had to deal with some meltdowns. [Snorts]

He had to deal with some meltdowns.

I mean, you can't understand how well he did--

Praised, took his time, patience.

Awesome.

He did--he exceeded far our expectations

Of what I thought he would do. Awesome. Good job.

[Tracy] I was proud.

I feel that he is finally putting in some effort forth

In that I think he understands that it's really important.

Beautiful. That was absolutely beautiful.

Well, now I know you can do it.

[Doug] I'm proud of the father that I am becoming.

I'm not % there yet by any means,

And I know I have a lot of practice

And patience still to go, but I think I'm--

I'm back on track of where I wanted to be before mike came. Great job, doug.

Coming up...

Mike coaches doug to bring him closer to gwen...

Aah! One page--this is all I'm making you do right now.

[Crying]just this page. I'm gonna help you.

Good job, doug. Keep reminding her. Great job. Great job.

Yeah. I'm gonna help you. No!

No problem. We'll get it done real quick. Watch.

And dad finally has an emotional breakdown...

[Crying] are you crying?

No. Are you sure?

It's okay to cry.

[Buzzer]

When "super manny" returns.

[Electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

By the time I'm gone,

The ultimate goal is to have more fun for the marko family...

[Singsongy] yum, yum-yum, yum-yum.

[Alexa] mike, you're silly.

Especially doug and gwen. [Flaps lips]

Would you like me to carry you to where we're going next?

Fly!

Show the world you can fly.

♪♪♪♪♪

Right now I just want them to build upon

The improvement that I saw from them last night.

Today I'm gonna be on my mini mike.

I'm gonna be listening and talking to you guys.

Uh, you guys get to be on little earpieces today.

The mini mike allows me to coach doug and tracy

By using an earpiece,

So I can watch on a monitor and see how they're doing.

The first task of the day is homework.

Just this page we'll do right now.

[Mike] last night's homework nearly turned into a big fight,

And doug stayed calm.

Today, though, I want to make sure that he does even better.

Let's get started with this. Open it.

No! This is the exact... [Crying]

It has to be done.

No. Yeah.

No!it's one page. This is all I'm making you do right now.

Just this page. I'm gonna help you.

Good job, doug. Keep reminding her. Great job. Great job.

No. Yeah.

No.i m gonna help you. No problem. We'll get it done real quick.

[Continues crying] you watch. You watch.

Look at this. Make her ask you.

Don't volunteer the answer.

Okay, this--

Help me!

Hey. Y--okay.

Is that how we ask people for-- p-politely to help you?

Yes.

How would you ask in a better--

Is there a better way you could ask? Please help me.

Yes. "Please help me." Okay, just--just remind her,

"I can't read your mind. I don't know if you need help."

I've never seen you do this before,

So I don't know if you've ever done it in class before.

It was really nice today to have mike there as a backup.

[Grunting] what is minus ?

.

Uh-huh. What's minus ?

[Crying] .

Uh-huh. See? Look at that. Plus .

You do it this one to this one, not that one to that one.

[Mike] nice and relaxed. Good.

Look it.

She can do it. Even if it takes a little longer,

Have her erase it, have her write it.

It's her homework, not yours.

There you go. See? You did it.

Good praise. That was good, doug.

Good. Wow. Okay. See? I didn't know that.

I didn't know what--that you were supposed to do that.

What number is lessthan ?

It looks like there's only one correct answer there.

So... That's right!

Good job.

[Mike] doug was awesome today.

He's really showing a newfound patience.

That is correct. You-- you didn't even need my help.

Look at that. You got it done.

He used his homework tips perfectly,

And gwen, uh, really responded to it.

Okay? Well, I want to go on the computer now.

I--okay. You did a good job on here,

And I'm--i thank you for coming,

And we're gonna do this in a little bit, okay?

[Speaks indistinctly] you remember th--our plan?

[Mike] after gwen finished homework,

Doug let her have some computer time.

I was really pleased to see

That doug took the initiative and went over and joined her

And got involved in what she was doing.

"May you skin your knee climbing a mountain

And stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole."[Laughs]

She looks good sitting in your lap there, doug. Nice moment.

"I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books."

I received an e-mail from my mom,

And it was just what parents want for their kids,

And it was--it really hit home

Because gwen was sitting on my lap

While I was reading it to her,

And it, like, just gave me a sucker punch in the stomach.

[Crying] "I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch

"With your grandma and grandpa and go fishing with your uncle.

"And if your friend offers you dr*gs, I hope you reli--

Realize he is not your friend."

I think he's getting it.

Looks great, doesn't it?

I think he's finally getting what it's like.

Are you crying? No.

Are you sure?

No. It's okay to cry.

My relationship with gwen, I feel, is changing,

And I'm hoping that, um,

With more work on my part,

That she'll grow closer to me and...

Feel very connected to me.

There you go.

[Mike] hey, doug. Can you meet me in the garage? [Doug] sure.

I was shocked to see doug get so emotional.

It's not something I had seen from him before.

It's great to see that he's finally onboard

With what's going on.

He's really see that changes are positively, uh,

Affecting his relationship with gwen.

This is the kind of relationship

I envisioned doug and gwen having.

Now why--why did it make you cry as much?

Just having, you know...

Getting closer with 'em.

That's always... Being able to talk to 'em.

Always been what you wanted, right?

Are you feeling like the dad you want to be? Yep. Feeling like a new dad.

Yeah, all right, man.

[Mike] I'm really proud of doug. He's made a lot of strides.

I think he's starting to see

That the more work he puts into it

And the more effort he puts into it,

The better results he's gonna see.

Coming up, mike puts doug's behavior under the microscope.

That body's hunched over...

At this point, you're grabbing her.

Doug, what do you think she'd do to you right now if she could? Lasers. Burn me.

Yeah, I think--i think set you on fire with the eyes,

If possible. [Buzzer, electricity crackles]

When "super manny" returns.

[Buzzer, electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

It's time for a progress report, mike ruggles-style.

It's time to show the marko family

How they've been doing, play-by-play.

[Mike] marko family, come on down!

Welcome. Get some popcorn, please.

This is the last chance I have for the marko family

To do some coaching.

I really want them to see with their own eyes,

Uh, what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong.

Good morning. How's everybody doing?

[Tracy] good.great.

All right. I'm glad you're here,

'Cause we're here to watch some game film.

First off, it's alexa and jacinda.

Nice connection.

You give her a smile, she gives you a smile right back.

All right. Continue on.

[Flaps lips]

[Doug and tracy laugh] [mike] freeze frame! Oh, look at that.

[Doug] aw! [Tracy] aw!

All right. Okay. This--that's pretty good. [Tracy] look at that face.

That's pretty good. Look at that face.

I'm sensing this might be a little bitcute! [Tracy] aw!

[Doug] all right! Yay! Clap, clap. Nicely played.

All righty. Now... Gwen and dad's relationship.

[Alexa] try it. You have to try it, mommy. [Clenched teeth] will you...

Will you... Stop slamming the plate.

Leave it. No. Put the plate back now.

[Mike] now look. Oh! Stop.

Stop the film. [Imitates expl*si*n] [tracy] that's the big one.

What are we doinghere? And while we're at it,

Let's just look. [Tracy] oh, yeah.

Doug, what do you think she'd do to you right now

If she could? Lasers. Burn me.

Yeah, I think--i think set you on fire with the eyes,

If possible, would have been a good thing. Agreed?

[Jacinda fusses] I would have done that if I did.

Shh. Shh. Shh. You know what? And I'm awfully glad you didn't.

All right. I think we can move on. Don't you think?

Ow!

Mm. Stop!

Freeze frame!

That's a flag. Inappropriate.

Dad, use the words. Whack-a-pillow.

Use the word. Talk to your parent.

Whack-a-pillow. Whack-a-pillow. Ooh. Whack-a-pillow.

[Doug] good. [Mike] nicely played. Nicely played.

Do it now. [Gwen] not after school.

One...

Two...

Stop film! Dad, where you at right now?

That body's hunched over, you're standing up as much as you can.

Wh--who are you talking to? Who you having a conversation with?

[Doug] gwen.

Where was she? Where--where-- where was--where was she?

She was under the table, if I remember correctly.

[Tracy] yeah, she was under the table.

She was under the table? All right. She was under the table.

Let's roll some more film here. No!

Don't go outside without shoes again. You track dirt-- all right, stop film!

At this point, you're grabbing her.

This is not exactly a way to convey your message.

And this is the way you've been conveying messages

For what, right?

And then you don't understand why there's no respect. Totally uncalled for.

Doug and gwen were struggling with their anger issues,

And they seemed to be always at odds with each other.

So let's see how they're doing now.

Hey, gwen. Let's go brush your teethies, okay?

Thank you for coming down quickly also,

Because that was nice.

Yes. You're welcome for the shake.

I'm glad--think that-- very polite. Right there, stop.

When was the last time you heard her say "thank you"?

[Tracy] it's been, um... I don't know.

It's been a while. It's been a while.

'Cause at that point, she was having a nice interaction.

She was having a nice back-and-forth.

She was feeling a lot more warm to you.

And again, when you give it to her,

They give it back to you. You give them anger and mad,

They give you anger and mad back.

You give them warm and sweet, they give it back to you. What number isless than ?

And it looks like there's only one correct answer there.

So... That's right!

[Mike] oh! Freeze...

Frame. Look at her.

She's working real hard.

You're giving her nice empathy.

You're showing her that you're here for her.

She's loving it. I know you had a hard time with it,

But you stayed with it. I loved it.

[Crying] "I sure hope you make time

"To sit on a porch with your grandma and grandpa

And go fishing with your uncle."

Were you crying?

No.

[Singsongy] are you sure?

No. It's okay to cry.

Thank you. I love you. Mm-hmm.

I'll see you in the morning, okay? I'll go get alexa now.

Dude, amazing progress.

Your kids appreciate it, you had a lot of eye attention.

You had a lot of people smiling,

A lot of people nice and easy.

You know, so you are our...

M.v.p. [Girl] m.v.p.

All right. So the point of all this was to--to really highlight

Not only where you were, but now where you are.

You guys have done amazing, but as always in life,

You know, it's-- it's a day-by-day thing,

So there's still work to be done, okay?

And I'm sensing that gwen and alexa are done.

The last thing I do before I go--

It's really important that I make sure

I bring this family closer together.

Coming up...

[Grunts]mike crams in some vital last-minute teaching...

Aah!

And doug has a surprise for gwen that she'll never forget.

Isn't that cool? Mm-hmm.

[Buzzer, electricity crackles]

When "super manny" returns.

[Buzzer, electricity crackles]

♪♪♪♪♪

On my last day, I wanted to try to make sure

That there was more happiness in the family.

Gwen, what I like about you is that you are a great daughter,

And I love you very much. So I had them play a game called "what I like about you."

Jacinda, what I like about you is you play with the dog.

[Laughter]

What do you like about daddy?

Tucks me in at night and makes pasta for me.

[Tracy] oh, that's nice, honey. [Mike] and everybody had a lot of fun

Playing the ruggles hugs game.

[Whispers] four, five, six, seven.

Aah!

[Laughs]

[Mike] the atmosphere in the house is improving,

So I wanted doug to come up with a big surprise for gwen.

But first, I'm gonna send alexa and mama off to the spa.

It's time for a little daughter-mom time.

Okay, mommy's ready.

Okay. Me, too! Okay.

[Mike] I definitely think this will be a good thing

For both of them. They're gonna have a lot of fun.

They're gonna just have a chance to relax with each other

And--and be girls.

♪♪♪♪♪

It's kind of relaxing.

[Tracy] it is kind of relaxing. [Woman] kind of relaxing? Yeah.

It was really nice seeing her beam and smile

And having a good time. Oh, lookit!

Wow!

What does that look like?

This looks delicious.

Mmm! Mmm! That is good strawberries.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] now I wanted doug to come up

With a really special evening for gwen

So they can enjoy it together.

Why don't you open this up right here real quick, okay? It's for mommy.

No, it's foryou.

Doug totally outdid himself.

He was able to plan a fairy-tale evening for gwen,

And he even bought a special princess dress

That she could have.

Ooh! Ooh!

Pretty. Look how pretty that is.

When she opened the box with her new dress,

She was really happy, and her eyes lit up.

Why don't you go upstairs and put that on real quick?

And look what it came with.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Mike] I'm hoping tonight that gwen and doug keep connecting

And really keep building on that bond

That they've been missing for so long.

Gwen?

Wow!

Look how beautiful you look. Where'd you get that from?

I borrowed it.

From who?

From the fancy dresser man.

[Both laugh]

♪♪♪♪♪

All right. You want to see your surprise?

Hmm?

[Giggles] [laughs] isn't that cool?

Mm-hmm.

That's awesome, huh?

When I saw the carriage, I was about to shout.

I was about to just scream.

This is awesome, huh?

This is pretty cool, huh?

[Doug] okay.

Ooh! Pink! My favorite color! Yay!

Yay! [Doug] it just melted my heart.

I think she was just really into the whole thing and excited

And, I think, just genuinely glad to be here.

Look at that.

Mmm!

Mmm! I like this.

Look at you. You got french fries, all your favorite stuff.

I bet mommy and alexa wish they were here, huh?

I'm glad it's just you and me. It's kind of like the father-daughter dance...

Mm-hmm.except you don't eat at a school table.

Exactly.

It was great to just be one-on-one with her

And have her laugh and enjoy things and just be a kid.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Humming]

[Laughs]

[Grunts]

♪♪♪♪♪

[Doug] it was nice.

It was a really nice ending to a-a great week with mike.

♪♪♪♪♪

I hate to say it,

But it's time for me to say good-bye to the marko family.

I-i-i'm--i'm speechless how much you guys improved.

Um, I'm gonna miss you guys.

I got to work with these faces,

And--and your now smiley faces. Thank you.

[Mike] people want quick and easy solutions

For their lives, but it's not that easy.

It's not that cut and dry.

Being a good parent is hard. It takes a long time,

And it takes a lot of hard work. It's nice to see how much you guys have grown,

And it makes me extremely, extremely, extremely optimistic

For the future.

Thank you guys for always making me feel welcome here, you know?

There's more joy in the house,

There's more happiness. There's more love,

And that's exactly what a house with kids should have.

Just always making sure that what they see

Is what you actually feel in your heart, you know?

'Cause I know you love your kids,

So just always make sure they see it

And can't ever worry about questioning it.

You--you continue to just improve

And just remember how much you love your kids

And remember what you're looking for... Yep.

'Cause you're well on your way to getting it, okay?

[Gwen] my dad and I are closer now.

He's kinda like a friend.

Okay. All right, guys.

What do we say? Come on.

[Tracy] oh! Thanks, mike.

Thanks, mike. Bye, guys.

[Doug] mike's impact has been completely positive on us.

I was actually kinda sad to see him go tonight.

Gwen was definitely sad to see him go.

[Crying] oh, gwen's having a hard time.

[Doug] gwen might be afraid

That we might go back the way it was without mike here.

No. We can't.

Um, we've come too far now,

And we just have to... Make this thing work.

[Alexa] it won't be really long.

[Voice breaking] I would say to mike,

"Thanks, I really appreciate it, and you've...

You've..."

Sorry. [Sniffles]

"You did more than what we even bargained for,

"And... [Sighs]

Thank you."

♪♪♪♪♪

[Clears throat]

Whack-a-pillow. Whack-a-pillow.

Whack-a-pillow. Aah!

[Tracy] that's so... Whack-a-pillow.

[Object rattles]

[Doug] show cooper. There you go.

No, no, no. We don't play in the dog food. No!

[Tracy laughs] she get into that dog food again?

Hee hee.

I know. Here. Let's sit down.

[Panting]