Switch

Marvin wants forty dollars' worth of Zappazoids DVDs, Tamika wants a designer dress, and both are sure their parents could buy anything they please - so Whit proposes a forty-eight-hour switch, making the kids the grown-ups and Ed and Elaine the children. At first it's a dream: the new "adults" split a hundred and fifty dollars, order their parents to bed at seven-thirty, and buy exactly what they wanted. Then Marvin oversleeps for his job at Whit's End, Tamika burns through her cash on restaurant meals, and dinner shrinks to popsicles and a jar of pickles. Meanwhile Whit keeps showing up in silly disguises to collect taxes, rent, insurance, and the electric bill... until the money runs out and the lights go dark. In the blackout, Marvin and Tamika finally see how much their parents quietly juggle, return their prized purchases, and gladly hand back the adult roles a day early. Whit arrives with pizza, the lights come back on, and two changed kids stroll through the next shopping trip without begging for a thing.

Found on A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities) Album 46 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0585 The Poor Rich Guy A single Bible verse about camels, needles, and rich men sends the kids of Odyssey scrambling to save their wealthiest friends from heaven's fine print.

0586 A Cheater Cheated When a scandal-hungry radio host targets the Electric Palace's shady sales tactics, Bart Rathbone must scramble to learn honest customer service before his reputation - and his job - go up in smoke.

0587 Bringing Up Dads When his daughter decides she's too grown-up for his goofy antics, an embarrassing but devoted dad goes all-out to win back her laughter.

0588 Broken-Armed and Dangerous A broken arm and a broken blender leave two guilty consciences at Whit's End learning that owning up - and letting go - are both harder than they look.

0589 The Impossible With a make-or-break deadline looming, Whit's team races to finish an invention that could bring education - and faith - to children in India's most remote villages.

0590 Three O'Clock Call When silent phone calls start arriving at exactly three o'clock each day, a boy abandoned by his father dares to hope - while a visiting orphan prays he'll discover a Father who never leaves.

0591 Switch When two kids insist that adults have it easy, a forty-eight-hour family role swap puts them in charge of the money, the meals, and the bills.

0592 Now More than Ever When her best friend suddenly turns cold and secretive, Liz sets out to uncover what's really troubling the Straussberg household - and to learn what it means to stay a faithful friend.

0593 Around the Block While Connie struggles to write her own book about Odyssey, she discovers that helping others may be the key to helping herself.

1 of 2 0594 A Time for Action A singed guidebook among his late parents' belongings sends Eugene and Whit chasing a mysterious train ticket to Africa, while young Grady learns what it really means to help someone in need.

2 of 2 0595 A Time for Action While tracing a mysterious fax to its true source, Eugene follows a trail of clues through a gas station, a homeless shelter, and a cemetery in his desperate search for his long-lost father.

0596 Cover of Darkness Twenty years after a tragedy tore them apart, Eugene Meltsner reunites with the father who believed him dead - but a shadow from their past forces their reunion into secrecy.

0597 Out of Our Hands When their parents' separation upends everything, a sister stakes her hopes on a play meant to reunite the family - while her brother plots a very different kind of response.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 2 more roles

2 supporting roles

Mr. Jenkins Bob Hoose Jenkins's Market PA Announcer J Karen Thomas

Made by

Chris Anthony Host John Fornof Writer Marshal Younger Director · Producer Jonathan Crowe Sound Designer · Producer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

At a store, Marvin wants a complete season of Zappazoids on DVD, while Tamika wants a designer dress for an upcoming concert. Each costs nearly forty dollars, and Ed and Elaine refuse both purchases. The children complain that their small allowances make life difficult and insist that adults can buy anything they want. Their parents answer that the family’s money must cover responsibilities the children never have to consider.

During dinner with the Washingtons, Whit remembers teaching his own children about family roles by switching places with them. The Washington family agrees to try the experiment for forty-eight hours. Tamika and Marvin become the adults, while Ed and Elaine must obey them as children. Whit serves as referee and gives Marvin a two-day job at Whit’s End, paying him one hundred fifty dollars in advance for the household to manage.

The new adults immediately split the money. Marvin reserves enough for his DVDs, and Tamika claims enough for her dress. They send Ed and Elaine to do the dishes and then order them to bed at seven-thirty. At first, controlling the house seems wonderful, and the family even runs through the sprinklers together.

Adult life becomes harder the next morning. Marvin has stayed up late and oversleeps, though Whit expects him at work by six. Tamika discovers that the house has no milk or easy breakfast food, and she cannot cook. She takes everyone out for breakfast before buying her dress, spending most of her share before she has thought about dinner.

At Whit’s End, Marvin enjoys chatting with customers and helping himself to three large ice-cream sundaes. Whit explains that employees do not receive unlimited free food, so Marvin must pay for what he ate. At the end of the long day, Whit also deducts five dollars because Marvin arrived late. Marvin still believes he has enough for the Zappazoids collection, but his wages are disappearing faster than he expected.

Tamika has her own difficulties. Ed and Elaine behave like demanding children, asking for breakfast, dinner, a magazine, batteries, and candy. After paying for restaurant food and her dress, Tamika can afford only popsicles and a family-sized jar of pickles. She grows exasperated with the constant requests and begins repeating the very things her parents have always told her.

Whit makes the lesson more realistic by appearing in a series of silly disguises. First he collects taxes from Marvin. Then, posing as a landlord, an insurance agent, and a power-company employee, he demands rent, insurance payments, and the electric bill from the children’s dwindling funds. Marvin and Tamika pay what they can until only one dollar remains, leaving them unable to cover the electricity.

That evening, Marvin expects Tamika to serve him while he watches his new DVDs, and Tamika expects him to help after her tiring day. Their parents complain about a dinner of pickles, and the siblings turn on each other. Then the lights go out because they have not paid Whit’s pretend power bill. Marvin argues that Tamika should return her dress, while she says he should return the DVDs.

The argument finally reveals the lesson. Neither purchase matters more than food, power, or the other needs of a family. Tamika and Marvin recognize how many expenses their parents quietly manage and how difficult it is to choose between wants and necessities. Ed and Elaine require both children to return their purchases as proof that they understand, and the children eagerly surrender their adult roles a day early.

Whit restores the lights and arrives with pizza, while Ed and Elaine gladly become the parents again. On the family’s next shopping trip, neither child begs for candy, entertainment, or expensive extras. Their parents are amazed by the change - until Tamika suggests that the next role switch should send Ed and Elaine back to school.