Julie Myerson - why am I not surprised that a book has materialised concerning her own son's drug issues?

[glasjam]

Read this is in today's Observer www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/01/julie-myerson-novel-drug-addiction

Does anyone else have the uncomfortable feeling that I have on learning that she is writing about her son's drug problems? I know that writers often mine their own personal experiences for material but I think she's putting her literary endeavours ahead of her son here. From what I can gather, he is still young, his drug issues are ongoing, and although he is out of the family home, surely this is risking any possible future reconcilliation? I also baulk at the way she "weaves historical research about Yelloly with her disturbing account of her son's ejection from the family home" It just smacks of middle-class-writer angst.

My cynicism is further fuelled by my very strong suspicion that Julie Myerson is the author of Living with Teenagers - but that's another story...

She's so patronising too and soooooooooo bleeding heart liberal and so full of the gestures and words of love but not the actions of love which is shut up about your child's privacy, there's no excuse!

I think Dittany has made a great point. How terrified must the two remaining children be of stepping out of line knowing the consequences? Would they ever again trust and confide in their parents about their problems?

Although if she really is the LWT woman and exposed the youngest as 'four pubes' to his schoolfriends, I think we may have already passed the point of no return!

I thought it was very striking how many references there were in all the various interviews with her and jonathan to academic achievement: huge numbers of references to his amazing academic potential and achievements, and how they only noticed the wheels coming off when he was about to do GCSEs.

And Julie in the Sunday Times was writing about how they found a lump of hash in his room, but figured that he was doing well at school, so they'd just put it back and say nothing. That was just so bizarre: I simply cannot see how school grades or lack thereof would have any bearing on how I might react if I found drugs in the possession of one of my dc. And she then goes on to say that they only really noticed there was an actual problem when he missed his maths GCSE.

It does sound like a lot of pressure, and a weird subliminal message that it's okay to be rebellious and take drugs as long as you're getting good grades at school. Wtf?

Quite funny spoof JM just started on Twitter http://twitter.com/juliememeson here

oops here I mean

eww- just watched the newsnight interview on iplayer. Really cringeworthy.

Why did she have a white plaster/bandage thing on her sleeve?

Hmm. Frogs, I can actually imagine thinking about one of my daughters that she seemed fine and happy and doing well overall. And I do think my daughters are going to smoke cannabis at some point, and that frankly I'm in no position to condemn them. He was only about 15, though, that would take me aback about a lump of hash.

Scummy I assumed she'd been in some sort of scuffle with angry Mumsnetters outside the sudeio and one of them had ripped an arm off?

Ah! That would explain it, MP.

Surely it's because her Broken Heart is On her Sleeve?

What really stuns me is how her son, in his interviews, refers to a very unstable time in his parents' marriage and how that effected him badly but that he couldn't possibly reveal details about what happened.
The son seems to understand privacy but not his mother. Who's showing more adult behaviour?

I thought it was perhaps an accidental sartorial error but I now think I was being naive and you are right to suspect that it is a deliberate reflection of brokenness and woe, MI.

OK, I'm going to apologise for the Myersons again. I believe the references to "my boy" etc were because she doesn't actually name him in the book. Now admittedly, given her profile, this was a fairly loopy attempt at protecting his anonymity but she does come across as naive.

Second, sneering at their pride at his academic potential seems very low. If they are to be believed, he was an exceptionally talented and creative young man and he has royally screwed up his future by effectively waving good-bye to academic success because of his addiction to/enjoyment of drugs. This book is, I suspect, aimed very much at middle-class parents who believe that they have done the best for their children only to find themselves ambushed by this sort of situation - and most middle class parents do equate academic success with general success and take pride in it.

I don't agree with what they have done but the scorn being heaped upon them for holding perfectly valid hopes and expectations for their son is underhand and spiteful.

Um, am I the only one on here who would phone the fuzz if they found drugs in their children's bedrooms?????

now the Guardian is saying Myerson DID write LWT

Guardian confirms Julie wrote LWT

Last line of the Guardian article:

"Since the identity of the children in Living With Teenagers
is now known, we have removed the columns from the
Guardian website to protect their privacy"

It just makes me want to cry. Poor poor children. I think what she did is utterly unforgiveable.

I feel sorry for the other kids as well. The dad insinuates in his article that Jake has turned the younger two into druggies. Bet they'll be pleased by the reaction from their teachers, friends' parents, future employers, etc.

Gordon Bennett! I could descibe those columns as a lot of things - "affectionate vignettes" is not one of them . Silly woman and silly editor. When will folk learn that children are people in their own right and not some kind of extension of the parent?

Am I the only one boaking at the Graun's 'sadder but wiser' tone? Sanctimonious wankers

lalalonglegs : who is sneering at the parents for boasting about his academic potential?

I think most people just feel utterly sorry for him - and think that while there's the TEENIEST TINIEST possibility that he's a bright angry young man having a hard time being a bright angry young man, tarring him as a hopeless addict is utterly tragic.