Reading Reflections

#1 Some people would say it's just bizzar the way that Mary and Rex raise their children, but whose to say what they're doing is wrong or right? They may not have a normal life and methods of parenting, they choose to bring up their kids differently, and very indipendent. In my opinion, its not wrong, it's creative. but I wouldn't exactly choose to raise my kids that way, but nor how most people do. I respect the way they parent, but I feel they should be more catious when it comes to letting the kids do whatever they want adn having no real supervision at such a young age, who knows what could happen. For example, when Jeannette was cooking hot dogs by herself at only three years old and was caught on fire.

#3 How does Rex deny the family's lack of money as a real problem?

Rex knows his family is having money issues, but he doesn't know how to deal with it. He's overwhelmed with life and ignors the family's lack of money and food. Usually around this time he'll up and leave, "it was around that time Dad lost his job.He said there was nothing to worry about, because Phoenix was so big and growing so fat that he could find another job at a site where they hadn't spread lies about him." (page 110). But now he's starting to abondon his role as a father. At fisrt the family makes it hard t o even realize much is wrong, the kids are exposed to a lifestyle saying it's just, "one big adventure, but in reality it's just an adventure to survive. Therefore they act like it's not really anything, because they've always been pretty indipendent as it is. Not to forget there mother is always happy somehow. But after awhile everyone slowly realizes that enough is enough.

Reflection #4

pages 155-213
B- How do Jeannette and her siblings tolerate to abuse? To what extent do you sympathize with ehr situation? Are her justifications (for her fathers behavior, her mothers neglect, etc) valid or has she been taught to believe in a falce reality?

Jeannette and her siblings tolerate abuse kinda oddly. Throughout their short time living on this earth the kids have been subjected t o all kinds of behavior from their parents, expacially their father. Jeannette and her siblings believe in fight, or in other words if they have to defend them selves or get revenge they wont hesitate. By watching their father maybe when he was done with a fight, they learned to take pride out of it. For example, on page 45 Jeannette comes home after being in a fight and makes the statements, "Just a little dustup," I said. That was the word dad always used after he'd been in a fight." and... "This lil' ol' scrtach?" I asked. "you should have seen what i did to them." "That's my girl!" Dad said.." This is very clear, the way the Walls handle situations. I do sympathize for the Walls kids situation, it's not fair that Jeannette has to provide for her siblings let alone her own parents, and gets nothing good in return. I feel Jeannette's parents obviously didn't want their children growing up so minipulated by society and the government that they actually started minipulating themselves. Who is anyone to say the way they live is right or wrong? But from what you can see it is not in the slightest easy to live the way the Walls do, and for people like Jeannette, it's not the way she feels she should live her life. She realizes what her parents had created more when she was older, rather than just having fun being a free kid, when she got older she started to face responsibilities she hadn't before, which made her take a lot of things into consideration. She then starts to question her whole life and family.