My Wife and Kids

- Season 3

(2002)

The Kyles are leaving for their family vacation on Hawaii, but instead of taking only one flight straight to the island, Michael thought it would be a good idea to make a quick tour around the country, so they make stops at New York, Chicago, Denver and other cities before they get to Hawaii (two days later). When they finally get there, Michael's luggage gets lost and they're forced to take a master suite because their reservation expired. While Michael wants to make it a romantic and resting trip, Jay wants to get to know place, and drags the entire family on a ...

Michael and Janet decide to go out on a romantic dinner, leaving their kids all alone. Claire and Jr. fight over who'll have to stay in the room babysitting for Kady, but Claire lets her brother get out of the duty, after all it's not often he gets a date. Jr. has a memorable night on the beach with Leilani, a native girl. Kady and Claire decide to spend their times on the hotel's spa, while at the dinner table Jay and Michael both struggle to say no to the temptations they met Ð a female underwear model and a male chest/abs model. When they go back to the hotel, ...

A mad scramble ensues when Michael finds out that the family's flight home from Hawaii leaves much earlier than he thought, but matters are complicated when a love-smitten Jr. insists on staying with his new love, Leilani. Meanwhile Kady refuses to leave without her beloved doll, Little Pippy, and Claire has to go to extremes to keep her parents from finding out about her exorbitant hotel charges.

Jay is dissatisfied with how she and Michael spend their nights out and so signs them up for Samba lessons; Michael doesn't take kindly to Jay flirting with her male dance instructor and so decides to give her a dose of her own medicine by having him replaced with a sexy woman instructor. Meanwhile, Claire makes the cheerleading squad in school even though she doesn't have the coordination to make it and the family tries to break the news to her.

While making Claire's bed, Jay finds her diary hidden under the mattress. She can't resist the temptation of reading it and is quite shocked to learn that her daughter is thinking about taking the next step with Tony. She has a heart-to-heart talk with Claire, about the consequences of pursuing hr hormonal desires. Meanwhile, Michael is scheduled for an appointment with the eye doctor even though he insists there's nothing wrong with his sight (doesn't matter than he can't even read the paper without squishing his eyes).

Claire introduces her parents to her new boyfriend, Tony, who Michael doesn't believe is as innocent and honest as he seems. He and Jay accompany Claire and Tony on their first date to a movie theater to accompany the kids and make sure nothing happens.

Jay is put in charge of directing Kady's class in a production of Romeo and Juliet; but when Jay becomes sick she is replaced by Michael, much to the children's delight, especially when he agrees to let them change the play.

When Michael and Jay can't stand Junior and Claire screaming at each other anymore, they decide to show the kids how bad they're acting by pretending to fight with each other, and the kids start to worry that their parents are going to break up.

Michael's sister Kelly is coming over for the weekend, which freaks Jay out because every time Kelly comes over she overstays her welcome and always gets on Jay's nerves. This time is no different, with Kelly constantly throwing on Jay's face that she is fatter than her, a worse cook than her and even tries to make her look like a bad singer, even though Jay can sing wonderfully. Things heat up when Kelly brings up Sharon, Michael's old girlfriend and Kelly's best friend. The two women get into an argument and it's up to Michael to break them up. He pulls it, and ...

Michael decides to help Junior on his women approach techniques, seeing that his son has absolutely no clue on how to behave around women. His advice consists on primarily having women say "really?", which is the key for a successful approach. When Jr. tests Michael's advice on one of Claire friends, he's surprised that it works, and even gets the girl to agree on going on a school dance with him. But Jr. was just testing her so he could ask the hottest girl on school out, which he does (and she accepts, on a move to make her ex-boyfriend jealous). Claire's friend is ...

Feeling that she has no space and time of her own due to home duties, Jay decides to paint. The result is a portrait of Michael based on Michelangelo's David, which makes Michael feel a little bit "diminished". They start an argument over it, which ends on Michael finally agreeing on letting Jay show her work at a friend's art gallery Ð with a "big" change, that is. Meanwhile, Michael renews acquaintances with old buddy Steve, while the kids are encouraged to develop their artistic abilities as well. Claire designs clothes, Kady plays the piano and Junior, like his ...

Michael's old friend Tommy is coming over and Michael is very excited because he and Tommy used to compete for everything. But his excitement soon turns into awkwardness when Tommy shows up in a wheelchair and Michael doesn't know how to act with the situation. Tommy decides to take advantage of that until they have a talk in which Tommy asks Michael to treat him like he used to, because despite the wheelchair he's the same guy that used to race Michael for anything. Meanwhile, Claire is caught shoplifting and gets grounded for it. When she confronts Kady about who ...

Jay decides to attend an "Open Your Heart" seminar for struggling couples, even though she and Michael are happier than ever. Her excuse is "prevention", but Michael warns her not to try fixing something that isn't broken. At the seminar, they are teased against each other and stop talking to one another. It takes Kady suffering an accident at school for them to realize how important communication between them really is. Meanwhile, Michael wants his children to learn the value of money and tells Jr. to start his own business.

Michael (aka: Chief Bald Eagle) is recruited to camp out with Kady and her friends and teach them Native American lore. Meanwhile, Clare and "the new Tony" plan to stay out all night themselves: they're plotting to sneak out to a "rave."

While hoping to have the house to himself, Michael tries to get Kady to quit acting like a little kid, and rents the movie Gremlins to give her something grown-up to watch. Kady's frightened by the movie and her fears are only heightened when the city goes into a blackout. The Kyles try to make the most of a night at home without any power.

Michael is convinced that he's going to win the Man of the Year award, but falls into a deep depression when he doesn't; Jay rallies the kids together to put together a different award ceremony to show Michael how much they appreciate him.

As a very impressed Michael sees it, his son's girlfriend, Vanessa is an absolute prize: "She's beautiful, smart, personable and polite... you guys have nothing in common," he tells Jr. But there's something about her that rubs Jay the wrong way. Elsewhere in the courtship department, Kady's similarly smart and personable gentleman caller is a budding piano prodigy named Franklin. As for Claire, all she's courting is a severe case of nerves: the PSATs are coming up and her face has broken out in hives.

After Jay and Michel found their son Jr. in bed with his new found girlfriend Vanessa, Micheal finds it best that he kick Jr. out of the house. Jay is not so sure this is the best punishment for her son so she decides to help him. In doing that she also learns Vanessa is in love with Jr. which cause some sacrifices for Michael.

Jay and Michael wind up on jury duty in the same trial case, and Michael belittles Jay when she's the only one who votes not guilty. But he quickly changes his tune to acquit after he has an encounter with a man he's convinced is working for the mob.

Junior, Vanessa, Claire, Tony, Kady and Franklin find a wallet full of money and argue over who found it first and has rights to it, so Michael acts as judge to decide who the rightful owner of the money should be.

When Claire gets her permit she's ready to start driving, but her first lesson with Michael proves disastrous when he constantly yells at her and makes her nervous. When the family is gone, Claire decides to go driving by herself, but Michael spots her and steals the car when she isn't looking and waits to see how long it'll take for Claire to confess.

Jay has Junior help her sort through a pile of Michael's stuff in the garage that hasn't been touched in five years and finds an old picture of his ex-girlfriend Sharon and accuses him of cheating on her with a picture.

Jay wants she and Michael to do more things together so she tags along for his golf game and ruins it, so Michael gets revenge by showing up at her yoga class unannounced and embarrassing her.

Claire and Tony announce they plan to have sex, and while Michael and Jay try to handle it better than their parents, they try various ways to talk the kids out of it.

Michael doesn't want Claire going to prom, so he and Jay attend as chaperones and wind up being more popular with the kids than Claire is.

It's time for Jr. to graduate high school and move on to college. The problem is Jr. wants to go to the same college as Vanessa. This puts a downer on Michael and Jay who were hoping college would be a break for Jr. and Vanessa. However they don't worry because Jr. can't get into the same college any way until he decides to ask Michael and Jay for help so he can get in and be with Vanessa.

Junior finally graduates, and his parents give him a trip to Japan as a gift Ð and as a way to separate Junior and Vanessa, who are planning on moving in together and getting married as soon as they start college. Both Kady and Clare admit their sadness on Junior leaving, and Michael and Jay feel proud of having raised a semi-successful child. They go out to relive some of their memories and when they come back late at night they find Junior and Vanessa sitting in the kitchen. He's decided not to go to Japan anymore. Vanessa is pregnant.