Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Apr 23, 2006 0:58:10 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree. I don't remember if she even discussed it with her children. Lile offered them a choice, and gave them time to think about it. Did she?
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Apr 23, 2006 19:22:23 GMT -5
^ No. There is a chapter dealing with the move to Connecticut in The BSC Remember (mental blank, that IS what the book is called, right?!) and Jeff yells "you can't make me move!" and Sharon says something along the lines of "as a matter of fact, Jeff, I can make you"
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Apr 23, 2006 19:48:27 GMT -5
Did the dad kind of not want the kids?
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Apr 23, 2006 22:52:34 GMT -5
^ it would seem that way, considering he seemed quite happy with the kids moving across the country. Way to avoid fatherhood responsiblities, Disneyland Daddy!
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Apr 24, 2006 7:33:06 GMT -5
Hey, yeah - with Stacey, her parents left the choice completely up to her! But with the Schafers, it seemed the decision was solely Sharon's.
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Post by sotypical42483 on Apr 24, 2006 12:42:35 GMT -5
I could kind of see Sharon not wanting to leave the children with their dad - he doesn't seem like the most responsible guy ever. But then again, she's not exactly the epitome of a good mother, so it's kind of a toss up.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Apr 24, 2006 19:30:14 GMT -5
Did Jack ever show signs of being a bad parent, though? Him and Sharon always seemed equal, in terms of parenting ability and skill. He never neglected them or anything, and both Dawn and Jeff have good relationships with him. I think Sharon ended up taking the kids because it seemed like mothers usually ended up with primary custody *shrugs*
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Apr 24, 2006 19:32:09 GMT -5
^ yeah, I don't think either of them are in the running for Parent of the Year.
I guess it's more realistic that the kids go with their mother, though.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2006 14:57:44 GMT -5
Unpopular opinion - but I don't think it's really so strange or bad of Sharon to have moved her kids. I'm assuming this was okay with Mr Schafer -- they seemed to work together pretty well when it came to the kids. Plus, I think he enjoyed the bachelor life, at least for awhile (not to say he didn't love his kids and want to be with them).
I know Sharon had lived in California for many years, but if she met Jack in college they must have been together forever. I'm not sure much of her life there didn't involve him, and I can definitely see wanting to move away after a divorce. I think especially because she wanted a 'fresh start' and to let her kids grow up where she grew up and, presumably, enjoyed it. Plus, that's where her family was.
I know the kids were uprooted, but they were pretty young. It sucks that they moved so far away from their Dad but again, he had to have agreed to a Disneyland Daddy situation. What actually irritates me the most is crap like this book -- I think it's insane that Sharon let's Dawn move back to California.
It made some sense with Jeff -- of course, the books were a little higher caliber then, so there was tons of foreshadowing. With Jeff, moving back seemed like a real last resort. He was doing awful in school, starting having all these new behavioral problems. But Dawn just misses them. You know -- DUH. And to a 13 year old, randomly moving back because of this feeling makes sense, but it seems like Sharon, or most mothers, would have just said no. And maybe arranged for an extra visit or something.
Of course I'm over thinking this. Don't even me started on how completely asinine it is to randomly move back there for six months. That makes ZERO SENSE WTF.
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Post by sugarmonkey on Jun 12, 2006 18:14:07 GMT -5
Yeah, but the kids were uprooted so quickly. They didn't have more than a couple of weeks to adjust to the idea of divorce, moving cross country and not seeing their father on a daily basis. Sharon could've given them more time to absorb the impact.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jun 13, 2006 2:23:07 GMT -5
Maybe she felt she didn't really have the right. After all, Jack wasn't any less a parent than Sharon. Dawn had as much right to live with her father as she did to live with her mother. But what did have to be enforced was a standard home, none of this "okay, now I'll move to California. Oh wait, I miss MA and the BSC. Back to Connecticut. Uh oh, I miss Dad and Jeff again. Back to California" and so on.
The fact is, when Sharon decided to uproot her kids from their stable and comfortable homelife, dragging them across the country, it was obviously going to have that affect on a 13 yr old girl. If anything, it's more realistic that JEFF would've adjusted easier. He was still prepubescent and kids are generally pretty resilient (hence the reason I thought Claudia's depression in her Portrait when she had to attend Stamford Alternative Academy was ridiculous)
Thirteen yr old girls, on the other hand, are not usually so adaptable. It's an emotional, awkward stage where one relies heavily on their peers.
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ktag
Junior Sitter
Posts: 694
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Post by ktag on Jun 13, 2006 3:12:06 GMT -5
Yes, but Dawn's just so laid back that nothing phases her. I bet they would have adjusted better if it weren't for the New England weather. Florida maybe? Not to mention the constant "she's a real California girl" comments. It was inevitable. The strange thing about Sharon's wanting to be near her parents reasoning is that they really don't spend much time with them. I mean they live right there in Stoneybrook but they're almost never mentioned.
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lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jun 13, 2006 13:26:16 GMT -5
This is where I think Stacey's parents had the right idea, with both of them moving out of the shared apartment. I mean, what if Jack and Sharon had the same counselor as the McGills (okay, extremely unlikely, but bear with me), and Jack decided to hoof it to San Francisco or something? Jeff seemed to really miss his father, but Dawn was always bitching about cold weather and crowded beaches. As superpana said, Jeff's issues just seemed more legitimate.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jun 13, 2006 21:43:01 GMT -5
^ other than the cold weather thing, I don't really know what Dawn's issues were, other than the fact that she missed her brother (she didn't really mention her dad much). But apparently she was extremely close with her mum and loved her new blended family and her BSC friends, so it's strange that she would be willing to give all that up just for warm weather. Jeff on the other hand, did seem truly attached to his father so yeah, I can see why his issues were more legitimate, even if I'm sure that IRL he would've adapted to Connecticut life eventually.
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Post by aln1982 on Apr 9, 2007 16:09:06 GMT -5
I can't believe it but I don't think I had ever read this one before today. In all, I liked it pretty well. It didn't seem to have much to the main plot but I didn't mind that. I found it light and enjoyable - especially the parts about the "run for your money." Richard and the underwear race cracked me up, as did the kids trying to practice for the events. I loved Richard in this book! I always enjoy seeing him trying to loosen up a little. This wasn't one of my favorites and didn't have anything outstanding in it but was enjoyable to read on a day when I didn't want something that really made me "think" or analyze.
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