Reader's Ink discussion

Ditto ditto ditto! Each of the girls were so different that it made it interesting to see how she could make it as successful as she could with the tools and abilities she had. Agreed that I too was some uncomfortable in the techniques she implemented and tried, and some to the detriment of their family. I have to admit, that even though my teeth were clenched, I got a giggle at times at some of the different things that were tried.

I thought the author made even the most egregious abuses seem light hearted and charming in many ways...which to me elevated the level of delusion Rosa suffered from in thinking her parenting style was healthy.

Yes, Emily! I'm actually rather amazed that Rosa manages to feel uncomfortable by the stare!

Rosa's parenting practices are, of course, awful. She uses guilt, manipulation, and sheer force. And she's not raising Aminat to be a good person or to be self-sufficient (which I think most parents shoot for) but rather to just DO WHAT ROSA WANTS. That's it. And, well, if that's Rosa's main goal, then I suppose her parenting practices are effective--short-term, anyway.