Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tea_rex_love 's review for:
CWs: child abduction, child neglect, custody violation, difficult divorce, emotional breakdown, emotional parentification, exclusion, moving away, parentification
*TRIGGER WARNING: child parentification*
First of all, I would like to write an apology to [a:Gale Galligan|15108045|Gale Galligan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565658000p2/15108045.jpg]. I originally shunned her adaptations thinking that I would never enjoy a BSC graphic novel that wasn’t illustrated by [a:Raina Telgemeier|21618|Raina Telgemeier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200153437p2/21618.jpg]. Of course, I was super wrong. Gale Galligan’s illustrations are so filled with life and expression. I laughed every time she drew the characters’ faces to look like emojis or memes. I can also say that I enjoyed this art style even more than the previous graphic novels. Galligan has 110% won me over.
Art aside, this book is a heavy hitter. I’ve experienced firsthand how it feels as a child to be put into a parental role when the actual parent is being neglectful. When young children bypass their real parents for the underage parent stand-in for things like homework and emotional support, it gets tough to advocate for your needs. When you love the children you care for, it is hard to set boundaries, even when the work is eating you up and wearing you down. Dawn learns this the hard way. When you love the children you care for, you see that they have emotional needs that aren’t being filled, and all you want to do is take care of them even when you shouldn’t. When I got older, I learned to say “no,” in spite of the consequences. Dawn is privileged for being able to recognize right away that the situation she is put into is unhealthy (for her and the Barrett children) and she is even more privileged to be able to say “No” and stand up for herself.
I’m so proud of Dawn for setting boundaries. By standing up for herself, she stood up for people like me, who were coerced into a parental role too soon. We are worth more than what we can give to other people. Dawn knows this to be true, so maybe I can start believing it.
*TRIGGER WARNING: child parentification*
First of all, I would like to write an apology to [a:Gale Galligan|15108045|Gale Galligan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565658000p2/15108045.jpg]. I originally shunned her adaptations thinking that I would never enjoy a BSC graphic novel that wasn’t illustrated by [a:Raina Telgemeier|21618|Raina Telgemeier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200153437p2/21618.jpg]. Of course, I was super wrong. Gale Galligan’s illustrations are so filled with life and expression. I laughed every time she drew the characters’ faces to look like emojis or memes. I can also say that I enjoyed this art style even more than the previous graphic novels. Galligan has 110% won me over.
Art aside, this book is a heavy hitter. I’ve experienced firsthand how it feels as a child to be put into a parental role when the actual parent is being neglectful. When young children bypass their real parents for the underage parent stand-in for things like homework and emotional support, it gets tough to advocate for your needs. When you love the children you care for, it is hard to set boundaries, even when the work is eating you up and wearing you down. Dawn learns this the hard way. When you love the children you care for, you see that they have emotional needs that aren’t being filled, and all you want to do is take care of them even when you shouldn’t. When I got older, I learned to say “no,” in spite of the consequences. Dawn is privileged for being able to recognize right away that the situation she is put into is unhealthy (for her and the Barrett children) and she is even more privileged to be able to say “No” and stand up for herself.
I’m so proud of Dawn for setting boundaries. By standing up for herself, she stood up for people like me, who were coerced into a parental role too soon. We are worth more than what we can give to other people. Dawn knows this to be true, so maybe I can start believing it.