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How the other kid lives

82 replies

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 12/02/2019 20:31

Anyone watching How the other kid lives?

Finding it so poignant... wonder if I'd have let my DD do it.

One of the little girls having a bit of a tough time

OP posts:
ILoveMaxiBondi · 19/02/2019 22:49

I could really feel Syd’s mum’s frustration with the focus on appearance and the two girls thinking they were bad at reading because they never read any books. As a teacher I’m guessing she faces that every day. It must be so disheartening. Fighting an uphill battle.

LellowYedbetter · 19/02/2019 23:32

I thought Syd was amazing! We need more unique people in the world. As a kid, I would have wanted Syd as a mate rather than the other two.

Aeroflotgirl · 19/02/2019 23:45

I loved Syd too, such a lovely little girl, how a child should be. Really like an 8 year old child, not striving to be older and more beautiful. Very sad Alisha's mothers low aspirations of girls, to be beauty objects, and that their very being is determined by looks. She said that if you do not take care of your looks, it looks like your lazy or can't be bothered. I don't think intelligent Females care about their looks.

When Alisha mother said to Alisha, would you rather be friends with JK Rowling, or Kim Kardasian, the little girl said Kim Kardasian it was just so sad.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 19/02/2019 23:50

Oh I missed that. That is really sad. What child of that age would rather have a chat with Kim K than JK Rowling?? Shock I mean JK Rowling. Her imagination must be limitless. I’m a (teeny) bit older than 8 Wink and she could keep me mesmerised for hours.

Aeroflotgirl · 20/02/2019 08:01

I am sure I heard it ILoveMaxi, it was either be friends with Kim Kardashian or a well known female Author, I am sure it was JK Rowling. I was shocked when the girl said Kim Kardashian, and the mother looked relieved. Really! Is that how you want to bring your girl up, vein, superficial, and unknowledgable. It was really horrible when Alisha whispered to the other little girl that 'Syd' was weird! Why because she was acting well erm like 8 year old girls should. I used to love bouncing on the bed at that age, I think she felt awkward as nobody would talk to her her, and were giving her the we are more superior to you type treatment.

Well if the mother has bought Aisha up to be like that, she has failed as a mum, sorry she has.

Aeroflotgirl · 20/02/2019 08:03

I liked Syd, she is warm, friendly, and a very lovely girl, if I were her age, I would want to be friends with her. I was a quirky kid at school, loved boys toys, reading comics, dressing in boys clothes and climbing trees and being a kid. I am sure the snooty girls at my primary school used to whisper about me. In fact when I asked them if I could play with them, they all closed ranks and told me no and to go away Sad.

Aeroflotgirl · 20/02/2019 08:04

The other little girl was nice too,her dad was well rounded and quite down to earth. Alisha is how her mother has raised her, and it is the mother, the dad seems more grounded.

SileneOliveira · 20/02/2019 08:10

I thought last night's episode was really interesting. Syd was a quirky little character who was most definitely her own person. Her mum was doing a great job of encouraging to be herself. Daisy's Dad was fabulous too, encouraging his daughter to be happy and make her own choices.

As for Aleesha... urgh. I'm sure she had the potential to be a lovely child but her mother was just SO shallow and SO vain and SO looks orientated with her make-up and fake eyelashes and trips to the salon. Her dad seemed much more down to earth though.

What got me most was Daisy pondering whether she'd rather be a boy because she liked football. There was nobody telling her that actually, being a girl who likes football is FINE. That being female is more than make-up and liking Kim Kardashian.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 20/02/2019 08:40

I loved Daisy’s football pitch in the back garden. I loved football as a child but was very much a loner. The girls in school were really horrible to me and the boys just ignored me so I wasn’t allowed to play football with them. I was “allowed” to sit on the grass bank and watch them and throw the ball back if it came my way. I remember the teacher taking me aside in the playground and asking me why I didn’t have any friends and I had no idea why. I just shrugged my shoulders and she sighed and sent me back to my grass bank. I know what I’d answer if she asked me now. It’s because nobody taught those nasty brats how to be nice to the weird kid.

I reckon daisy and syd will have stayed in touch.

Aeroflotgirl · 20/02/2019 09:18

Ahhh IloveMaxi, a kindered spirit, though in my case the boys did let me play football with them. Sad that it is so gendered stereotyped with no flexibility in these kids minds. Hopefully once they are older and their cognitive processes mature, than they might change. I think it will be more ingrained with Alisha because of the way her mum is bringing her up.

JustDanceAddict · 20/02/2019 11:51

Agree that Alisha was very vain etc. Agree it comes from the mum in her case. Glad she enjoyed the football in the end but felt for Daisy who said she’d rathrr be a boy as she likes boys things. I know quite a few girls who play football and have no interest in girls’ actibities. My Dd wouldn’t have tolerated having make/up put on her at age 8, no way !
I felt a bit bad for Syd in a way - I can imagine she is left out a lot in school due to not having a TV in particular so can’t discuss programmes. We didn’t have one until I was 7 and I def felt out of things even in those days (the 70s). Maybe they watch on other devices?!?!
As for the KK vs JKR thing - we would all pick JKR here!
I can’t imagine Alisha keeping in contact w the other two but maybe Daisy and Syd will?

dottypotter · 20/02/2019 14:20

i liked Syd and Daisy felt sorry for the Muslim girl. All she was interested in was hair and beauty and abit behind the times saying she thought football etc was for girls.

Plus how oppressed she will be when she has to wear a headscarf pity the girls didnt say do the men have to do that as well.

Wonder if they all kept in touch or was it just for TV?

dottypotter · 20/02/2019 14:21

syd will be allowed a phone when she is older as the mum mentioned her sister had one.

Mum was doing a great job. Well done Mum if your reading.

YourFly · 20/02/2019 20:09

It was good last night, I liked Daisy and her dedication to daily football!

PleaseComeBackSafe · 20/02/2019 20:18

Alisha and her mum made me feel really uncomfortable. So vain and narrow minded. I would not want my child to have a friend like her tbh. I prefer Syd. She was lovely.

I did mke me realise however, how behind my child is of the same age socially watching all of the episodes.

PleaseComeBackSafe · 20/02/2019 20:19

Would you let your eight year old watch the show?

ILoveMaxiBondi · 20/02/2019 20:26

My DS is 9 and we watched the first episode together. It didn’t really hold his interest but I have no objections to him watching it. I think it’s a good one for them to watch to see how other kids their age cope with new and strange situations.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 20/02/2019 20:27

Also a good discussion point in terms of kindness and inclusion and why others might struggle to engage with them. My DS has SEN and struggles a bit to maintain friendships. I would never let him go on the show as it would destroy his already low self esteem to be rejected by new friends, especially on TV.

elephantmarch · 21/02/2019 22:32

I’ve really enjoyed this show. I think if the children were in a school environment they would’ve formed cliques and never interacted so it’s great seeing superficially different people get on so well, but they all had lovely natures. I thought Alisha had a beautiful family, I liked their duchie song but there was some good editing when they said they are loud and hyperactive and then filmed them all lying on the sofa. Daisy was brilliant, very witty and Syd should be popular she adapted to anything and was so game

Yerroblemom1923 · 21/02/2019 22:47

I watched the current episode with my 10 yr old dd as felt she would benefit and enjoy it. She did.

JustDanceAddict · 22/02/2019 08:24

Alisha’s dad was fab but I wasn’t keen on the mum’s views. Loved it that they sing Pass the Duchie!

lazymum99 · 22/02/2019 08:59

I always thought pass the duchie meant pass the spliff!!

C1rrus · 22/02/2019 14:11

I thought that both Syd's and Alisha's mums were putting themselves under quite a bit of pressure albeit in different ways. I suppose we all live to some extent to self-imposed rules, we are just rarely invited to share them.

I don't have much to do with girls this age, so I was quite shocked to hear how prevalent the attitudes were to do with "girl things"! I didn't realise that there was still so much judgement about what is girlie or not (funny we don't have 'boy-ie', I guess that's just the default). No wonder we have so many girls who are questioning their sex if everything they like is judged to be not female.

C1rrus · 22/02/2019 14:12

Also - so many false dichotomies! Why can't Alisha be in to make-up and football? Why can't Daisy be in to football and glittery artwork? Why can't children wear what they feel comfortable in that day?

ILoveMaxiBondi · 22/02/2019 14:17

My DS is always coming home from school asking “mum is X just for girls? Everyone in my class says it is”

X could be anything like baking class, having bubble bath with a mermaid on it, gymnastics, art club. It’s very frustrating and I do see him second guessing himself at times over whether he is “allowed” to do certain things.