Suffering from imsommia and thinking he's going nuts.Tom visits a psychiatrist to find the cause. Tommy develops two personalities, ""disco kid"" and ""mellow man"", to impress the two girls he is dating. Tom's sneaking around leads Abby to believe that he may be having an affair.

Nicholas convinces Tom to coach his little league football team. Tired of having no privacy, the Bradford children have their own phone line installed. Tom resigns as little league coach because of pushy parents but becomes a pushy parents himself when Abby takes over as coach.

Abby has her own problems when she thinks sha may be pregnant and is relucant to tell Tom. Tom panics when he finds out he is going to be audited by the I.R.S, and the family pitches in for help. Nicholas plays post office for the first time.

Joannie gets accepted into a theater company and her first role is that of gopher and understudy.When the lead actress quits the play, Joannie has 24 hour to learn her lines and is unaware that Tom will be reviewing the play for the vacationing drama clinic.The Bradford children try to make Abby feel guilty about not sharing her car with tjhe family.Nicholas can't get away from a girl who has a crush on him.

Nicholas has a crush on his teacher and buys her self-portrait at her garbage sale, but tries to hide it from the kids, who think there is a valuable painting underneath. The Bradfords because believe Nicholas's painting may be worth a fortune and dream about how they would spend their millions of it is. Tommy's chances with a popular girl are hurt when he contracts trench mouth.

Tom is chosen to teach a journalism class at the university and is impressed by one student who is working his way throu college. Nicholas and Irving, who are making prank calls,recieve their own from David and Tommy. Tom is disappointed when Nancy flunkes out of college and decides to find a job, but she doesn't appricate it when he pulls strings to get her back in. Tom finally helps her get a job interview.

Susan struggles to find the right career after she realizes she's not out to be a professional athlete. So she decides to try out to be a cop. Nancy opens a day care center at the Bradford house, but soon discovers that's not good with kids. While she fails the written test for the cop job, Susan helps Nancy control the kids, who are running amok, and finds that she likes it enought to go back to school as an education major. Joannie makes David's girlfriend jealous when she practices lines from her new play in David's apartment.

Many struggles with medical school and charaviristic professors. Susan, Elizabeth, and Nancy try to reach Tommy to drive is reluctant to do it. Tommu is embrassed top be seen with his teacher, Susan and Nancy. Finally, Tom traches Tommy a lesson in driving. Fed up with Mary's complaints about beeing unable ro study at home, Tom get her an apartment of her own for her to study for exams in medical school. She finally maves back home and the whole family coaches her.

David starts living gangerously after a close friend dies oif a heart attack at a young age. The kids try to help and eventually David cleans up his act. Nicholas tries to help by offering David a kitten from a litter of a stray cat he has taken kn. He soon discovers that the cat is pregnant.

The male Bradfords refuse to attend a speech that Abby was selected to give. War erupts between the Bradfords men and woman when the woman feel they are not respected by the men. Nancy gets a job pumping gas in a sexy uniform in a local filling station.

Abby's parents are flying in from Pasadena for Thanksgiving.Nicholas is surprised when the Vice-President accepts his invitation to Thanksgiving dinner with the Bradfords. He picks the Bradfords as American's typical family. Tommy puts a deposit on a used car.

The Bradford children plan a party for Tom and Abby's anniversary and Nicholas fell left out. Tom and Abby unknowingly bid against each other for ""A Christmas Line"" tickets for their anniversary. Nicholas accidents set fire to his room, destroying the anniversary present Tommy was making for Tomand Abby. Feeling like the family doesn't want him around anymore, Nicholas runs away to find Sam in San Diego.

In San Diego, Nicholas is taken in by Joe Simmons, an old con man and bum who was a friend of Sam's. He then performs his best scam trying to get Nicholas back to the Bradfords. Believing that Nicholas is at a friend's house, the Bradford's work on repairing Tommy and Nicholas room.

Tired of not having time to themselves, Tom and Abby conspire to get rid of the kids so they can spent the weekend alone.They send the kids camping for the weekend. Susan brings a nine year old girl home from the day care center. Tommy gets a date with a popular girl at school.

Both Elizabeth and Tommy learn that there is no easy way to success. Elizabeth wants to go to an expensive college in Vermont with a good dance program but Tom can't afford the tuition. Nancy takes a correspondence course in hair stying. Abby discovers a dance scholarship. Elizabeth can compete for Elizabeth starts studying dance with a professional dance compoany. Tommy tries to earn some sxtra money.

Tired of Tom's strict rules, Nancy, Susan, and Joannie look for an apartment of their own because Tom has trouble accepting that his daughters are growing up. David buys a new truck and agrees to sell Tommy his van. Tom is upset when Abby loans the girls the money to get their own apartment.

Abby's mother arrives for a visit and Abby is upset to learn that her parent are breaking up. Abby's father arrives shortly, and musical rooms becomes the name of the game. The girls want to move back home after their rent is raised but are afraid to tell Tom. Tom is picked up by the police after the kids rack up $170 worth of parking tickets on the station wagon

On a rainy night in Sacramento, the Bradford house is turned upside-down when the power goes out and leaves the Bradfords stuck at home with Nancy's blind date - a Norman Bates look-alike. Joannie is studying the film ""Psycho"" and the lights go out when her date shows up -- a look-alike for Tony Perkins. Tommy and Elizabeth think ""Perkins"" is an escaped convict. Tom is scheduled to participate in a debate on population control but he and Abby get stuck in an elevator when the power goes out. Nicholas and Irving play secret agent. Susan gets stuck.

Nicholas tries to avoid a young lady who has a crush on him. Tired of saying goodnight to each other every night, David and Janet decide to live together. Tom is nominated for ""Father of the Year"", but his chance grows slim after David and Janet decide to become roommates.

Tommy offers to marry a pregnant friend who was a girl, Lori, even though he's not the father of her baby. The Bradfords rally to support Tommy's taking of responsibility. Nicholas and Irving open a lemonade stand in front of the Bradford house but face stiff competition when a lavish lemonade stand is opened by the Cappleton sisters around the corner. David and Janet spend a night in the Bradford house when their apartment is sprayed for bugs.

Abby uses the family as subjects in a research project for school. Nicholas's new friend, Bobby, runs away from his foster family because he wants to become part of the Bradford family. They decide to sail down the Sacramento river. Abby's friend and his wife begin to consider adopting bobby. Tommy and Elizabeth debate the merits of cosmetic surgery

While substitute teaching at the high school, Abby refuses to pass the star basketball player, and troubles begin for Tommy. It's an awkward meeting when Tom meets Janet's parents. Tommy is pressured by the basketball player to get the answers to Abby's test. Tommy learns to stand up for what is right.

Tom and Abby are surprised to learn that Nicholas is musically talented but Abby is upset when Tom gets him a drum set. Joannie falls for the local drama critic who gave her a good review. Tom thinks he is a phony and tries to break up their romance. An unemployed David decides to open his own construction business and the whole family pitches in to help him

Abby and the children are frustrated when they are trying to study for finals and a youth-oriented article Tom wrote in his column runs into trouble with a senior citizen and inspires a picket line in their front yard. Elizabeth panics when she discovers she has to take an algebra final. Tommy puts a band together after hearing that the prom committee will pay $300 for a band.

Tom is proud when Elizabeth and Joannie are graduating the same week (Joannie from college and Elizabeth from high school). Joannie doesn't know what to do with her life after graduation. Tom is invited to give the commencement address at Elizabeth's High School graduation. Abby talks to the principal on Elizabeth's behalf after she is excluded from the graduation ceremony for taking part in a dangerous senior prank. Tommy is offered the perfect summer job as a lifeguard but has to cut his hair if he accepts the job.

Tom finally realizes his dream of being a published author when a magazine prints his short story, but finds it published in a man's magazine more famous for its ""illustrations"" than its literature. David and Janet announce their engagement but David leaves Janet and takes off on a cross-country trip when he gets cold feet. Elizabeth is paired with a real nerd for a make-believe marriage assignment at school.

David and his traveling companion continue on their cross-country trip and he gets involved in a hang-gliding competition and learn a few lessons about life.