Original subtitles

[laughing] Oh, Reba.

That was so much fun.

I just love the park.

You and I should have play dates more often.

That wasn't a play date.

I was hidin' behind that tree when you found me.

Why wouldn't you go on the teeter-totter with me, you spoilsport?

Well, I thought somebody should watch the kids

and explain you to the other mothers.

And there's my sweet little bundle of perfection.

Aw. You can call me Mom.

So, how was the campus career fair?

Oh, wait. Let me guess.

It was just fair. [laughs]

So tell me about it. What was it like?

Uh, the campus career thing was awesome.

Informative, yet fun. There were balloons and--

And careers and people talking about careers.

[chuckles]

Really?

Any promising leads

on what you might wanna do with the rest of your life?

Tons. [chuckles nervously]

But they said it's bad luck if you talk about it.

Yeah.

You didn't go. Dang it, Cheyenne!

There's a bad moon risin'. It's go time, Hank.

- Okay. Look, Mrs. H. - [door closes]

We were on our way to the career fair,

but our path was blocked by this huge outdoor concert.

Yeah, and at first we thought that was career day.

By the time we realized that it wasn't, the real one was over.

So, you were supposed to pick a career

so you could choose a major so you could have a future.

- So? - So instead,

you start the first day of the rest of your life

by going to a concert!

Mom, it was one career fair.

What is the big deal?

The big deal is you have a baby now.

Which means you don't get to be the college student

in the beer helmet sayin', "Party, whoo-hoo!"

It's like she was there.

You have to start takin' responsibility, make hard choices.

Stop actin' like children and start actin' like you have one!

That guy in the beer helmet was my guidance counselor.

[theme song playing]

[Reba] Hey, hey.

♪ My roots are planted in the past ♪

♪ Though my life is changing fast ♪

♪ Who I am is who I want to be ♪

♪ A single mom who works too hard ♪

♪ Who loves her kids and never stops ♪

♪ With gentle hands ♪

♪ And the heart of a fighter ♪

♪ I'm a survivor ♪

[humming]

[chuckles]

Okay, coin wrappers.

As I like to say, "Let's roll!"

Why can't we just take the penny jar to the grocery store

and dump it in the sorting machine?

Or maybe we could go to the bathroom

and flush eight cents on the dollar down the toilet.

Roll.

[knock on door]

Dad, do you have a minute?

Aw, if it were only any time other than coin time.

What can I do for you, honey?

Mom yelled at me.

You know what always cheers me up?

Rollin' nickels.

Huh. With me, it's scotch.

So, what happened, honey?

She's all over me about the stupid rest of my life.

Just because I haven't picked a major.

Your mom's always been like that.

She used to ride me about mowing the lawn every week.

I mean, every other week is fine. But would she let it go? No.

It was always, "Grass, grass, grass!"

And garbage. And dishes. But mostly grass.

You know, Brock. We should help her.

What are your interests?

Well, she likes nail polish and shopping.

She should major in rocket science.

Or I could major in Shut Up, Kyra.

You know, Cheyenne,

I didn't always wanna be a thrifty, stay-at-home mom.

At one point, I wanted to be a meter maid.

But they wouldn't let me carry a gun.

Well, I don't know what I wanna do.

I mean, I like money.

How did you decide to become a dentist?

Well, I knew I wanted to make a good living

and have flexible hours.

Okay. Well, that's a start.

And I really wanted to be my own boss.

That's what I wanna be, a boss.

Being a dentist lets you be all those things.

Plus you get to help people.

It's very rewarding.

Those are the things you should look for in a career.

- Okay, I'll do it. - Do what?

Become a dentist.

First you have to be able to spell "dentist."

I'll tell you what I can spell. Shut up, Kyra.

Cheyenne, honey, it's a big commitment.

- Are you sure you wanna do this? - Yes!

I used to love coming to see you at the office.

Plus I'd learn from the best.

[chuckles] I'm not the best. Am I the best?

Best dentist and best daddy.

[sighs] Hey! For the future dentist.

Go out and buy yourself some monogrammed drool bibs.

I did, and I never regretted it.

Hey, if we get you and Jake to join her,

we could be those four out of five dentists

that recommend stuff.

Come on. Let's go tell Mom.

She is gonna be absolutely thrilled that I finally picked a major!

Come on, Kyra.

Don't you wanna hear what your mom has to say about this?

Oh, we're only four houses down. I'm pretty sure I'll hear.

[imperceptible]

Hey, Mom. What are you doing?

I'm trying to help your sister with her career choice.

Shouldn't she be here?

No, honey. I want it to be the right one.

Well, I know what I wanna be, an accountant.

- Really? Why an accountant? - 'Cause Jeffrey's dad is an accountant.

And he has a Jet Ski!

Oh, Cheyenne. I'm glad you're back.

I wanted to go over some possible majors that I found for you.

- No need, Reba. It's already done. - Yeah.

Dad and Barbra Jean helped me pick a major.

Oh, great.

Bring in the experts. That's what I always say. [laughs]

Okay. Well, after a lot of soul searching

and some really good bonding time with Dad,

I decided I wanna be a dentist!

[screams and laughs]

- Isn't it great? - Yeah!

[laughing]

Oh, you had me there. I got one for you.

Maybe Van should be governor.

[continues laughing]

No, no. No, Mom. I'm serious. I wanna be a dentist.

- Oh. Really? - Yeah. Mmm-hmm.

[chuckles] Whoo-wee!

Well, what did your dad say to you

to make you choose such a perfect, perfect career?

Well, he was talking about what he loved about his job

and I realized I loved "dentisting."

- It's... It's dentistry. - [chuckles] Whatever.

Well, that's great. And I'm sure you guys talked about

how Cheyenne doesn't care for science, math or teeth.

[chuckles] A dentist!

Yeah! Sure.

We didn't really talk all that much. It just kinda happened fast.

I can't wait to tell Van. Thank you, Daddy.

- Oh, you're welcome, sweetie. - Uh-uh-uh.

Oh, I'm sorry. Dr. Sweetie.

Yeah! Van, wake up! I'm gonna be a dentist!

What were you thinking, you boneheads?

Oh, excuse me. Dr. Boneheads.

Reba, I'm not a doctor.

You know, I don't think it's such a bad idea,

her wanting to be a dentist.

Brock, it takes eight years to become a dentist.

She's never gonna stick with something that long.

I don't think that's true.

Okay. She took piano, ballet and karate.

She can't play, she can't dance, and Jake can take her.

Yeah, well, she was younger then.

Maybe she's learned if she wants to accomplish anything,

she's gonna have to stick to it.

That's how I learned to fit seven eggs in my mouth.

And besides, you know, I feel that we must encourage

our children at all costs.

Yeah, when they're six and wanna fly a cardboard box to the moon!

Reba, a child can do anything she sets her mind to.

Except shrink eight inches. I can tell you that.

[grunts]

So what? You're saying that I'm a bad parent

for encouraging our child's dreams, is that it?

Yeah. You're a bad parent.

A good parent matches the dream to the child.

So they won't get hurt or disappointed.

Not every child can be an astronaut

or jam seven plums into their mouth!

Eggs.

And it would've been eight, but I sneezed.

How do we know Cheyenne's dream is unrealistic until she tries it?

Oh, you're right. Yeah.

I'm sure Cheyenne will be great at "dentisting."

I can see the sign now.

"Cheyenne Montgomery. Teeth Taker-Outer." Hoo-hoo!

She misspoke.

Okay, Brock. Here's the deal. You talked her into it.

- You get to talk her out of it. - No way.

Oh, yes way. Because I know how this happened.

She went cryin' to you because I yelled at her.

And instead of backing me up like you should have,

you agreed with her.

That is so wrong.

And I bet you even brought up the grass thing.

Now this is just insulting. Excuse me.

Fine. Maybe you can let her waste a year of her life,

but I'm not goin' to.

Oh, Reba. Don't you worry about a thing.

I'm gonna brew a pot of tea,

and we are gonna have a nice long chat about it.

Why don't we do that over at your house?

Oh! Okay.

I got lemon zinger, orange pekoe.

I've got an organic peppermint.

- Hi. - But I don't need career counseling.

- I already decided what I wanna major in. - When?

In the car when we were at that really long light.

I wanna major in marketing. You know why?

Because they hang out with accountants, and the word is

those guys have Jet Skis.

All I'm sayin' is a career counselor will just give us a little confirmation.

I just think it's a waste of time when we already know what we wanna do.

Dentist.

- Marketer guy. - Mmm-hmm.

Hey! Maybe I could do the marketing for your dental office.

I'm seeing a campaign.

It's not coming to me.

Cheyenne, when you said you wanted to be a dentist,

it got me thinkin'.

If you're willing to put that much effort into it,

why not shoot a little higher?

Maybe like a brain surgeon.

Whoa! Now that's somethin' I could market.

I got nothin'.

I hear you, Mom.

I mean, what if I'm meant to be, like, a molecular biologist

and supposed to find a cure for cancer or something?

Exactly.

Thanks for thinking I could cure cancer, Ma.

That's what we're here for.

Cheyenne and Van Montgomery?

- Hi. - Hi. It's nice to meet you.

- I'm Van. - Hi, Van.

- Who are you? - I'm Reba Hart.

I brought the kids down so you can do that thing we talked about

over the phone.

Oh, Mrs. Hart. I tried to explain this to you earlier.

Career counseling is not telling people what they've chosen is dumb.

This is serious.

My daughter is makin' a big mistake, and I need you to straighten her out.

Uh-huh. How 'bout I listen to what she's thinking

and then give her some guidance?

Oh, no. She doesn't need any guidance.

She needs a big fat dose of reality.

She thinks she wants to be a dentist--

And you don't like dentists?

No. My ex-husband's a dentist and--

And you don't want her to be one

because she's following in his footsteps

and you hate that.

Tell you what I do hate.

It's people finishing my sentences.

Look, that kid is a wonderful, sweet girl.

She's the kind of kid that gets real excited about stuff.

But by the time you buy her the tutu,

she's already wantin' to take karate lessons.

[sighs]

Is that the end of your sentence?

Yes.

See, mainly her father doesn't want to say anything negative to her.

All right then. I'll see you in a little bit.

He does that with all the kids.

To tell you the truth,

that is the reason why Kyra moved in with him.

Kyra, now, she's 14 years old--

Mrs. Hart, we have family counseling just two doors down.

Why don't you take a little stroll over there

while I talk to Van and Cheyenne?

Hey, Van. How'd it go in there?

- That was tough. - Yeah?

I'm not even sure where to find an organ grinder,

let alone get him to take me on.

Hey, there!

- Did you pick a career? - I sure did.

- And? - Dentistry.

Turns out I've been sayin' it wrong.

No, honey. I don't think you heard her right.

No, no, no. It's dentistry.

And she told me to go for it. Isn't that great?

It's unbelievable. That's what it is.

I'm gonna give Marie my personal thanks.

- Oh, okay. - All right.

- Oh, Marie? - Hmm?

[chuckles] Thanks!

What happened in there?

Oh, it's simple.

After talking with Cheyenne, I think she could do it.

Now, she knows she hasn't applied herself in the past,

but she wants to correct that.

Now, that boy there...

He is lucky to be indoors.

That's just unacceptable.

Take those kids back in and tell them you made a mistake.

- [scoffs] - Mom, what's wrong?

What's wrong is that so-called guidance counselor

gave you kids some bad advice.

There's no way you should be a dentist.

And you say your 14-year-old just moved out? Huh.

So you never really believed I could do this.

And I bet you were lying about me curing cancer too.

Cheyenne, those classes cost money,

and in a couple of months

you'll want to do something else, and I'll have to deal with that.

You know what? Thanks for bringing me down here.

It's good to know someone believes in me, just not my mom.

Cheyenne!

Don't worry. I can cheer her up.

[imitates robot] Mr. Robotica!

[knock on door]

- Hi, Reba. - Oh, look.

It's the guidance counselor from Make-Believe Land!

Hey, I'm here because I wanna help, okay?

You know, I was sittin' out on my porch

watchin' the grass grow, like it's supposed to, and...

and I realized it's not fair for me to always make you the bad guy.

So I'll talk to Cheyenne.

See, I'm sure she thinks being a dentist is all glitz and glamour.

What Cheyenne doesn't know is that for every guy who pulls a molar,

there are a thousand broken hearts of people who couldn't cut it.

Oh, hey. Look, I'm glad you guys are here.

Mom, I thought a lot about what you said.

Cheyenne, sweetie, I think I made a mistake.

I'm not really sure dentistry is the right thing.

I mean, truth be told, I hate it.

They bite you. The little kids? They bite you on purpose.

And you can't even smack 'em.

It's okay. I think I know why Mom thinks I can't handle it.

Look, Mom, I am flaky and I don't stick to things.

Wow! Honey, admitting that about yourself is a step

in the right direction.

Don't worry. We'll find you something.

Oh, I already did.

Dentistry.

I'm going for it. Look, everybody thinks that I can do it.

Everyone but you.

Cheyenne, I wanna believe in you. But it's hard.

You've got a very well established track record.

You've been a model flake.

Thank goodness you're back. Where is the baby's ba-ba, Cheyenne?

I looked everywhere, and I can't find it.

I gave her the green one, she threw that. Now it's gone.

And she's pulling on her ear again, she needs the drops.

I don't have the drops, the ba-ba. I got nothing!

Van, calm down. I always clip an extra ba-ba to her binky.

Ba-ba? Binky?

Listen to us!

She's taken away our ability to speak like big people.

I so wanna be that guy in the beer helmet goin',

"Party, whoo-yeah!"

Van, breathe.

Okay? Everything is gonna be all right. Mommy's back.

It's after 4:00, so you can give her three drops.

If she keeps pulling on her ear, though, give her some children's aspirin.

- Top drawer, left. - Okay.

[Van] Elizabeth, Mommy's home. Daddy's gonna be okay!

So I'm going for it.

And if you don't think that I'm gonna follow through with it,

I'm gonna have to prove you wrong.

No. Just a minute.

I just realized something.

- Maybe I was wrong. - Somebody get a video camera.

What do you mean, maybe you were wrong?

Elizabeth, bein' a mom... Honey, you're a great mom.

It's not that you can't stick to somethin'.

It's that you don't.

And it's obvious you can do just about anything you want to

as long as it's important to you.

So what are you saying? You'll support me trying to be a dentist?

Is being a dentist important to you?

Hey, hey!

That whole thing about kids biting you,

that was really just for dramatic effect.

We have great hours.

- Is it? - Yeah, it is.

You sure you wouldn't rather just take piano lessons?

- Mom. - Okay.

- I'm here to support you. - Thank you.

But if in a couple of months you decide to be a forest ranger,

you're on your own.

- Whoa! A forest ranger? - Cheyenne.

Right. Like I would ever wear one of those stupid brown hats.

You know, Reba, if we weren't divorced,

this is where we'd hug and say what a good job we did

and then discuss what we're havin' for dinner.

Hey, why don't we do that over at your house?

You're gonna slam the door on me, aren't you?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

[closing theme music playing]