#parent-child-relationships

#parent-child-relationships

One marker of the spurious issue play-a form the contemporary American theater features in surplus-is that it tends to be populated with puppets. Their inhabitants can, like the horror that is Tilly Norwood, look real, they can be loud or colorful or quirky, but ultimately they plug into a formula - they do what the playwright needs them to do. That's why it's refreshing to come across a play like Preston Max Allen's Caroline, the assured, affecting three-hander.

The first misconception that's worth clearing up is that children were, as they always have been, both loved and cherished by their parents. I've explored this a little bit elsewhere, but it bears repeating. Though there were culturally different ways of showing that love, it was as powerful as it is now. The number of children a couple had didn't reduce the amount of love they had, either.

Walking away from family is never easy; it's rarely The End. If this relationship were between partners we would categorise it, quite correctly, as coercive and abusive.

This connection is biological; your survival depends on it. Even if your parents didn't provide consistent safety or nurturing, the need for their acceptance and approval remains strong.