A lot of the discussions regarding the recently documents have not only been insightful but very humanizing Maddie. Though I can never claim to have known her it as though she as a person and her life are coming physically through the screen as her story finally gets to be told and thanks to her friends and those that loved her, in her voice. She not only deserves justice but also the freedom to speak safely and comfortably, which I felt was withheld from her due SS, the insidious predator and the seemingly lack of empathy or understanding from her mother.
Reading that MS would often come to school crying because her mother was mean to her was heartbreaking. It seems that JS deliberately meant to crush her if that is how MS thought her mother showed love.
JS also threatened to kick MS out when she turned 18, when turned 13 or when she could send her to her father. Was it JS’ perception that MS, her own daughter, was not entitled to her home or space and that she was grateful it was only temporary? From the number of times she has said it, the fact MS had a makeshift bedroom and she often caused her daughter to feel emotionally hurt that is my perspective.
Also she will kick Maddie out but not the freeloader, who is eating your food, taking over your couch and not even dating you anymore, stay in your place rent free? He gets a room with a bed for what, his existence? It is not even JS’ house, it belongs to her father who probably also agreed no growing child, especially his own grandchild, should sleep on a couch so that the man his daughter lusts for doesn’t have to work and live there for free. Why should his granddaughter Maddie be deprived of sleep and privacy like way he has been deprived of rent money and a daughter with a better sense of priorities?
MOO but JS gives me the impression she never was really interested in being a mother, independent of SS and all the other men in life, and it led her to resent Maddie. I was only getting this sense because she never went to parent-teacher night though she grew angry with MS about her grades, she yells at her for forgetting chores knowing it wasn’t on purpose and that both forgetfulness and distraction are common among those with suffering sexual and physical abuse, depression, ADHD and anxiety. She doesn’t provide Maddie’s school with asthma despite the PE teacher’s concerns about her lack of medicine and Maddie’s struggling physically during gym class. She kicks MS and SS out of her bed because of her anxiety and tells them to sleep together instead.
In what ways is that even appropriate? And how is that fair? SS is her boyfriend, she’s the reason he even there? Why doesn’t she and SS go upstairs instead so Maddie could have the room to herself which is much more appropriate, safer and logical? If this problem occurs quite often the reasonable thing to do is kick SS out so that both her and MS could have their own rooms.
It is not like they would be missing much if if he returned to his parents and was gone. Actually scratch that. JS could have noticed the absence of her sense of fear, lack of boundaries and privacy and the sense of vulnerability that the disgusting predator was lurking over and cornering her. Opposite to that both she and JS could gain and enjoy the freedom to enjoy their home and space without the suffocating and daunting domineering figure who drained and sickened them until they JS and MS were no longer family anymore but means to an end for his use and abuse.
