Neurotically concerned about his child's intellectual future, Nathan has their daughter in every activity from karate to early math and reading. His daughter and her accomplishments have become the center of his universe, to the detriment of his relationship with his wife. it's difficult to tell if Nathan sees his daughter as a person, or an object to be shown off and compared to others' children.
Gil's sister Helen is the single parent of a 16-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. Her husband has left her for another woman and she has her hands full as her daughter has eloped and her son never speaks. Helen goes on with the family acting as though nothing has happened, while her anger over her husband's...
This is that parenting is unpredictable and does not follow any kind of recipe or plan. What works for one child is not always going to work for another, even in the same family, and sometimes it is as much what we do or say as what we do not, which causes a problems. There is no one right way to raise a child, although there are many ways to do it wrong. Ultimately, as long as we are aware of the enormous responsibility that lies with us when we become parents, we can only do the best we can do and usually things turn out fine.
