I hated Eddie's mother more than Pennywise.

[Guillote]

Anyone else? The part when I hated the most that bit** was when Eddie had broken his arm, her attitudes were so... i don't know, I can't say heartless because she was acting like that to "protect him". But did she even realize that she was ruining her son's life!?!?

It is just me??

[mjs9153]

I believe there is an actual mental condition which parallels the description of Mrs Kaspbrak,Munchausen syndrome,or munchausen by proxy,if memory serves..there have been a number of cases where if taken to the extreme,a mother may actually murder her baby or small children,and garners some type of satisfaction from the resultant pity and attention..that is not a textbook explanation,just a very general description,but it sure sounds quite a bit like Mrs K's behavior..enjoy the time you spend on the board!

[GNTLGNT]

...many mothers tend to go overboard trying to protect their off-spring...my madre, was one such over-protective parental unit...I still resent many of the things she kept away from as a young boy-coz, "it might be dangerous"...that character made me shudder, it reminded me so much of some of Mom's traits...and MJS?...you have the condition down rxactly...

[Tanith]

The impression I got (I just finished a re-read of this classic) is that her over-protectiveness was at least partly the result of her husband's death. She was clinging desperately to Eddie because he was all she had left.

It's important to note that Eddie eventually escaped from this smothering protectiveness, but it's interesting that he married a woman similar to his mom.

[fushingfeef]

Everyone knew a kid like Eddie growing up, he's almost a "type". Not every hypochondriac has an overprotective mother behind them, but I'm guessing it doesn't help matters.

[mjs9153]

...many mothers tend to go overboard trying to protect their off-spring...my madre, was one such over-protective parental unit...I still resent many of the things she kept away from as a young boy-coz, "it might be dangerous"...that character made me shudder, it reminded me so much of some of Mom's traits...and MJS?...you have the condition down rxactly...

Just as an aside Gnt,are nursing staffs trained to recognize these signs in er's now?I know that in the past,a lot of those situations slipped through,was just curious if that was something you learned during your training..

[GNTLGNT]

Just as an aside Gnt,are nursing staffs trained to recognize these signs in er's now?I know that in the past,a lot of those situations slipped through,was just curious if that was something you learned during your training..

...the condition was addressed briefly in nursing school...but I guess the best answer would be-as a nurse working an ER, you're going to quickly get familiar with the "frequent flyers" and be able to start sensing a pattern...if you pay attention, and your instincts are good-you'll be able to pass along your suspicions to the MD in charge...

[Robert Gray]

I think "hate" is too strong an emotion to feel toward a woman doing the best she can with limited faculties and emotional baggage of her own. It also bears noting that Eddie came out to be a pretty decent person now matter what hangups he carried along with him. His mother must have gotten just as much right as she got wrong.

[GNTLGNT]

I think "hate" is too strong an emotion to feel toward a woman doing the best she can with limited faculties and emotional baggage of her own. It also bears noting that Eddie came out to be a pretty decent person now matter what hangups he carried along with him. His mother must have gotten just as much right as she got wrong.

...I don't...I really do hate my mother for the repression I was forced to endure as a child and young man...but having said that, I also love her for trying to do her best...it's a strange dichotomy, but yes-hate is a part of it...

[Robert Gray]

...I don't...I really do hate my mother for the repression I was forced to endure as a child and young man...but having said that, I also love her for trying to do her best...it's a strange dichotomy, but yes-hate is a part of it...

Fair enough. That, however, is a horse of a different color. As Constant Readers we are privy to everything in regards to Eddie's mother, or at least enough to know why she does the things she does, her situation, and even the outcome of her actions (good and bad). We are not privy to this information in regards to our own parents. It follows then that we can see past the prism of emotional refraction when we think about Eddie's mom, and hate would simply be impossible (for me at least).

Powerful emotions in regards to our own parents are certainly possible due to our limited perceptual ability.