The Walls family
I enjoyed reading the novel The Glass Castle. I just could not imagine living like the Walls family did. The kids spent their whole childhood basically supporting themselves. It wasn’t until they grew older that they learned life didn’t need to be the way they were living it. It must be horrible going to school everyday and having kids pick on you for things you can’t control. They eventually learned that it was not normal. I feel that it is a horrible thing for Jeannette Wall’s father and mother to do to their children. I feel like no child should have to endure all that the Walls children did. It was their parents’ choice to bring them into the world not the kids. You should never bring a child into the world unless you are healthy, stable, and you want it.**
disfunctional Walls family
"You should never bring a child into the world unless you are healthy, stable, and you want it."
Did Walls's parents realize they were not stable? Did they dislike their children?
I don't think they were deliberately abusive the way the mother was in "A Child Called It." The children were all reading by the time they were five, and they did learn to value non-material gifts -- like the stars (or planet) they were given for Christmas -- when their parents were not able to afford more expensive gifts.
On the other hand, the children were neglected at other times. The treatment seemed uneven -- even the treatment of the parents toward each other was not consistent -- one minute the father tries to run over the mother as she ran through the desert; other times they need each other.
Do crazy people know they are crazy? Are they capable of making a rational decision not to have children because they are crazy (or alcoholic)?
abuse
I loved this book it was the first one of the GMBA books that I read. The things these poor children went through. I just cannot get over how she was almost raped, how her uncle would molest her, so she wouldn't want to go there and get showered. But then, after she told her parents what was happening they said it was ok because her uncle was lonely. I felt sick! This book really made me appreciate my life and home and how much my parents love and care about me. How did you react to the negligent abuse?