Comments and discussion

When you analyze Laurie Ashner and Mitch Meyerson’s interview “Parents Who Love in a Living Hell”, you should also consider those statements and ideas that could be interesting to discuss.

Billy’s father talks about some ways in which he and his wife try to cope with Billy’s behavior. However, these methods failed – consider why this happened. Can you think of some effective ways in which Billy’s parents could have helped their son?

On the surface, Billy’s father seems to be doing everything to protect his son. At the same time, however, he is also preventing Billy from experiencing the consequences of his actions by solving his problems for him. As the interview shows, Billy has even come to expect unconditional help from his father. It could be argued that Billy’s father adopts a style of overprotective parenting.

Billy’s father also makes a potentially controversial statement: “I was no perfect kid myself, and I freely admit this to Billy. I grew up in the sixties, and there were plenty of drugs around, and I guess I tried most of them.” (p. 103, ll. 10-12) Here, we learn that Billy’s father shared his past with his son. Some parenting experts believe it is best for a parent to be completely honest with their children. At the same time, they believe this should be done carefully, at an appropriate age and in the right circumstances, so that children are able to understand the is...