As the saying goes: "It takes a village to raise a child." I firmly believe that the wrongest of all the parenting tracks the western world is on today is that the nuclear family is thought to be our natural state and that parenting, as a result, is viewed as a purely private matter. Through Joyce, I think Whedon et al. did a good portrayal of the ups and downs of modern parenting. Sometimes, it is really, really hard to know what to to. If you then lack a "village", other adults to talk to, books and tapes can be a way to get new ideas and inspiration to get a troublesome relationship back on track. I'm married to my kid's father, but still deeply appreciate the input I get from my friends, my parents, my favourite parenting forum - and my books. I love reading about handling horses, about sewing, about cooking, about biology, about Greek myths, about politics, about religion, about ... nearly every topic under the sky. Why would I not let "books and tapes" inspire me in my parenting, probably the most important task I have ever taken on?
Zobo, I do by no means praise all Joyce's actions and decisions. But that goes for every single character on the show. That's part of what makes them real to me. Real people mess things up more or less regularly. I'm sorry, though, to read that your parents have been doing such a lousy job of parenting. Not taking responsibility for children is a far cry from the acceptable mess up-rate.
Edited as my language was not accepted.
