Call the Midwife.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Anyone watching? Dr smug unfortunately appears fully recovered from the train crash.

No 😀

But I don't know how she could leave her boys in that squalor. I suppose we don't know where she was living, maybe it was worse.

She left them and never checked up on them, knowing they were living with an ill father. Yet at the end it was all smiles and hugs, very schmaltzy.

I used to work alongside nuns in East London. They were very worldly direct women. They’d seen and heard every family and moral event and said it as it was, as outside observers I guess. I’ve seen a Catholic nun have an informed conversation about abortion, deliver sex education that was quite practical and advise a woman take children away to safety. They weren’t part of the community gossip or standards in anyway. They were very very practical women who had through their order dedicated their lives to helping women and children, living in the community their entire lives.

Whilst this was the late 90s / early 2000s I can well imagine nuns in popular in the 60s were also shaped by their lives in the community and not prudish compared to others around.

@HedgeWitchy I've known a lot of catholic religious sisters. They are the most worldly people I know. They've travelled all over the world and worked in the most deprived areas. They have seen it all.

I actually remember a case like this in the late 80s... though obviously the decision to "live the lie" would have been taken in the 60s. A nice young woman and her husband lived downstairs from me and invited me in for a coffee. I was planning my wedding at the time so she offered to show me her own wedding photos. She asked me which members of her family I could see in the big group picture, which seemed an odd requiest, but I picked out (or so I thought) her mum, dad, elder sister, etc. Then she said something like "what if I told you that my sister is my mum, and my mum is my gran?" She then explained that she had grown up thinking precisely that, and was only told the truth relatively recently ... possibly when birth certificates were needed for her wedding or passports.
I could sense her husband was really angry about how she had been treated. She just seemed sad about it, but who knows what the lasting impact could have been? I often wonder what happened to her.

I think the show did depict the nuns as very worldly and aware in the early seasons. I think in part that's why many of them hold the religious values they do - they do see it all and they think that a lot of it is not good for people.

As far as children being raised by a grandmother - I think in general it was more common for children to be raised by other family members in the past, although usually this was in the open.

Jack Nicholson was, if I recall directly, raised by his grandmother as her son, believing his mum to be his sister.

The arrangement meant she could live with her own family with people who loved her and not be placed in Care or adopted. Not ideal because of the lies but I expect she had a good childhood. I worked in a Social Security Office in the 70s and it was not uncommon - if the parents/grandparents claimed benefit the bio mother/sister had to support her own child (unless they were really devious and got a false birth certificate I suppose). If the bio mother claimed benefit she could claim for the child.

Yes, of course, it's always better for a child to be brought up by their own family... but imagine being told that news as a young adult - she must have felt as though her world had shifted on its axis. She made it quite clear that the subterfuge was all for the sake of appearances and "respectability". It must have been hard on her real mother, too. Come to think of it, this issue has been addressed in CTM as Nancy's daughter was originally her "sister", but thankfully was told the truth. I accept that the times were very different then and maybe people just did what they thought best at the time. "Keeping up appearances" trumped all other consideratkons!

I'm not suggesting it was the best way but maybe better than some of the alternatives certainly better than a forced adoption. I mentioned upthread the sister of a school friend who had a baby and lived at home with her parents, there was no subterfuge. People, as always, usually did the best they could.

Flashbacks of Eastenders, ‘YOU’RE NOT MY MUVVER!’ ‘YES I AM!’

Wish they had changed the storyline so Sister Monica kept the little dog, and it helped her increasingly lonely life.

But his real family were missing him and were so happy to get him back. Maybe she should get another dog from the Rescue.

Were the6 the original family or was he rehomed?

I assumed they were his original family. Sr Julienne said something about how his real family would be missing him.

I assumed they were the original owners, but what I meant was, I wish they had changed the storyline so he was actually a sad little stray, who ended up living happily with Sister M!

Yes. It would have been nice and he was a very obedient dog.

He was the Midsomer dog Paddy!

Nothing was a very talented actor.

Loved the name!

I agree. I usually can’t stand her but I felt sorry for her - and for poor harried Sr Julienne.

I thought when they found Trixie's post by the piano there might be something from the health board to prompt Sister Julienne to come clean.

Or unpaid bills or notice to quit that had nearly expired.

She was probably Episcopalian.

its basically the Scottish version of the Church of England. So communion every week, Evensong, Bishops etc

He was a brilliant dog, he could have been a yay dog!

I agree. I’m ashamed to say I judged her harshly. Leaving those boys living like that. I know I shouldn’t judge, but I very much did.