Living with teenagers - the end

[RosaLuxembunting]

I have to say I am shocked at this It never occurred to me that they didn't know that she was writing about them. It seems like such a huge betrayal of trust.

[wonderstuff]

gosh dont think id be so understanding!

[Tortington]

totally

[WendyWeber]

She didn't do a very good job of disguising them, did she, if all the kids' friends knew straight away. (And that must mean all the kids' friends' parents read the Guardian - but she can't ever have allowed the Guardian in the house - you'd think they'd have been suspicious about that!)

It was a really shameful thing for a mother to do.

[WillburyNibbleQC]

Dreadful.

[ButterflyMcQueen]

bloody good writing style jack

[WendyWeber]

Are you sceptical, BM?

[ButterflyMcQueen]

just a wee bit!

[branflake81]

I too was shocked they didn't know - how can they not?

I read the Guardian every day when I was a teenager.

Perhaps I wasn't very cool though.

[Hassled]

I actually really liked the column - and from her descriptions of life with her kids there was no way they would have known she was writing about them. I thought Jack's response was very sweet. I hope we get an update - I want to know how they all turn out.

[Hassled]

I think the children were old enough that they were past the standard teasing stage. And in fairness to the mother a) if they hadn't been so appalling at times she would have had nothing to write about and b)she did spend a lot of time telling us about their good points and how much she loved them.

[WendyWeber]

Past the standard teasing age, Hassled? I don't think so...

"Right, now it's been about three weeks since I found out. Today I was still ridiculed three times (no exaggeration) for the specific column that referred to my pubic hair. I'm now known as Mr Three Hairs, and my friends were even kind enough to quote that particular section of the article in a forum on the internet for all to see."

And now I've quoted it again. Poor old Jack.

Tell you a bit that made me wince:

"And so to my kids: Eddie, Becca, Jack. Those aren't their real names, of course. Their real names are much nicer."

Eddie, Becca and Jack not nice names, then?

[soyabean]

I find it odd that the kids didnt know.'Jack' is in my son's year at school, parents both writers, not that hard to work out. We have known or at least guessed for ages (dont know the family or anything)and I assumed the kids did but my ds confirms that 'Jack' only found out recently. I suppose if they never had the Saturday Guardian in the house...but then again all his friends knew.

[frogs]

OMG, you know them?!

Is the mother really as much of a doormat as she made out in the columns? Even my 13yo used to read it in horrified fascination, muttering 'FGS get a grip woman.'

[noddyholder]

Of course they knew!And probably didn't mind as it is probablly funding a mighty nice lifestyle but it was an ideal way to dirch a column that was becoming repetitive and a bit daft

[ProfessorGrammaticus]

Soya - what is the mother like? I thought she came across as a doormat too

[noddyholder]

ditch

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[ButterflyMcQueen]

yes i agree - mighty fine way to end the saga

Jack the journo has the last word

[WendyWeber]

She was not only a doormat, she was a whingeing manipulative deceitful doormat.

The column did stop abruptly a couple of weeks ago, noddy, with a vague note under the substitute about why it had stopped - this part does ring true. Agree with BM though, Jack's contribution (or "Jack's" "contribution") is far too well written. Mother probably had a hand in that

[soyabean]

I dont know them just know who they are. Both parents quite highflying and well off I reckon

[ButterflyMcQueen]

(( oooh Wendy we were in your neck of the woods today DP said 'look out for your old posting name!)

went to boundary mill

came back poor - car laden in tat!

soz for hijack!

[WendyWeber]

[soyabean]

Both parents are writers (assuming I am right about who they are!)so 'Jack' may be good writer too...tho' my first thought was that his piece seemed too aware of the whole history of the column, somehow. I have found it strangely compelling on a Saturday morning but very irritating. 'whingeing manipulative deceitful doormat'- WendyWeber spot on.

[bagsforlife]

I noticed that once the book of the column was published with not very good reviews, the teenagers miraculously stopped being quite so rude and annoying in the subsequent columns. I should think the writer got fed up with making the whole thing up, won't ring quite true when they all pass their GCSEs with flying colours, get into Oxbridge etc, start writing travel blogs for the Guardian etc.