Something I've been thinking about whenever I've read how Tia 'had her whole life ahead of her' etc. She did have her whole life ahead of her, but I wonder what life it would have been. Her role models appear to have been, mum, stepdad, gran and Hazell. What sort of family dynamics do you think she witnessed?
I know it sounds very negative, but I honestly don't get the impression that Tia would have had a safe, loving or productive life ahead of her. I think she'd have followed the same pattern as her female role models, early pregnancy and multiple destructive relationships (having never witnessed a nurturing one herself, and therefore not knowing how to seek one out).
If you grew up surrounded by that kind of environment, it would be 'normal' to you because it's all you'd have known. If you witnessed your dad hit your mum all the time, or if your 'granddad' was a little handy after a few drinks, and your parents shrugged it off - well, then it's easy to see how very inappropriate behaviour would eventually become your 'normality'.
Any of that make sense?
Guess I'm just trying to reason what her life would really have been like if she'd have lived, and I don't think it would have been great. I don't get the feeling that a single member of her family loved her in a normal and unconditional way, or that she was ever made to feel important to any of them. Her life would have mirrored her mum and gran's life, I think. And then the same 'skills' would have been passed down to her own children. Maybe she'd have broken free of all that. It does happen, but not often. I don't think she had a bright future ahead of her, not while she was surrounded by people who didn't seem to know what responsible parenting was about.
By the way, the real dad had a Tia tattoo (or something) somewhere on his person, and Gran had one on her foot. Do we know if these were done after Tia went 'missing'?
