The Bowers Family

[Littlemermaid]

Nobody is talking about being a public disturbance and/or hurting someone else. Not so sure if you're just wanting to debate, or just making a statement that the "law has a say" in a person's private life. Either way, I have many (too many) thoughts on this subject in which I have previously said I'd refrain from revisiting.

Your earlier post about drinking was too general. Anywho, I agree that if you want to drink away, that's your right. But when it affects others, that's the beginning of a problem.

[canadian_bunny]

Your post missed the point. They probably didn't do much that week, because they felt uncomfortable with the new mom. A child's main responsibility is to do well in school, listen to his or her parents (assuming the parents aren't abusive or anything), and be a productive citizen, not to do menial dirty work that the parents are paying someone else to do.

The point is.. putting dishes up and folding laundry, wouldnt had taken the maids job away, nor would it had interfered with their daily routines.

It really depends on what you're paying the maid to do. If she leaves and you have a leftover plate on your table, you can put it away yourself, but if you're paying someone to do it for you, they should do it. That is their JOB. Why would any loving parent force their children to do janitorial work that a hired cleaner does when they can use that time for something else? That's like tipping a waiter while walking to the restaurant kitchen to fetch your own food. Don't get me started on the tips issue either.

Those menial duties would not had taken from the maid's job. Because any loving parent wouldn't want their child to grow up without the knowledge of knowing how to take care of themselves. There is nothing wrong with children having chores to do, even if they got a maid to do the rest of the housework. No I wouldnt fetch my food at a restaurant, but I dont leave my table a mess for the waitress to pick up when I leave either and she gets a nice tip along with a neat table.

[Uncle Slam]

I believe the point some people feel is that the Pilek kids were called lazy for not wanting to put up dishes but the Bowers kids at least show outwards signs of not being very active and that was mostly ignored. It lead some people to think that the Pileks kids were being singled out because they have a maid.

Really it would not have killed the kids to put up the dishes. Though it would not have killed Mrs. Bowers to learn a bit about how their house operated before she started giving orders either.

The mom's are guests and while the Pileks have not treated Lisa Bowers as a welcome guest she has not acted like a very good guest either.

They deserve each other.

I hope the Pilek mom gives the Bowers dad the money to spend as he see's fit and doesn't try to make a statement with it.

[Sunshine62923]

The Bowers children rose to the occasions presented to them by Samantha.

The Pilek children did not rise to the occasions presented to them by Lisa.

Was it in the presentation? Yes, I think so. Lisa is not a bad person, but her children do need her to be more positive in relating to them. They are not lazy. She is.

She reminds me very much of a family member of mine. Sure, this person does housework, but she only does what she wants to do within the family. And, she expects the family to cater to her needs. The children are always on eggshells because they don't know what will set Mom off next.

Frankly, I see one of the following two things happening with the Bowers - as a direct result of this show:
1. Mr. Bowers will leave Lisa. He will - now that he knows what it could be like - unless...
2. Lisa gets serious help. She needs to conquer this depression and insecurity.

I really pray for this family. She needs to be shaken out of her complacency.

[Littlemermaid]

It lead some people to think that the Pileks kids were being singled out because they have a maid.
The mom's are guests and while the Pileks have not treated Lisa Bowers as a welcome guest she has not acted like a very good guest either.

I agree Sam. Some people who are in Lisa's social and economic situation may relate to her and dislike the Pileks for their ability to enjoy life more.

The gist with the Lisa situation is simple. Her aggressive and in-your-face personality turned off the more laid-back Pileks, which caused them to distance themselves from her. She in turn felt unwelcomed.

The point is.. putting dishes up and folding laundry, wouldnt had taken the maids job away, nor would it had interfered with their daily routines.
Those menial duties would not had taken from the maid's job. Because any loving parent wouldn't want their child to grow up without the knowledge of knowing how to take care of themselves. There is nothing wrong with children having chores to do, even if they got a maid to do the rest of the housework. No I wouldnt fetch my food at a restaurant, but I dont leave my table a mess for the waitress to pick up when I leave either and she gets a nice tip along with a neat table.

The point is they pay a maid to clean. Why should they do something that they PAY someone to do? That would be stupid and pointless for them. If the maid only comes once every few days or a week, then maybe they should put away dishes or old clothes to not attract bugs or make too much a mess. But it appears that the maid comes in daily, so that's not necessary. Since Lisa's family is too poor to afford a maid, their responsibility includes keeping the house in shape. I only pay my cleaners if they do a satisfactory job.
A tip is given if the service was good.

[NYGal]

I don’t particularly care for the Pileks, so I wanted to like Lisa, but she makes it impossible. What a horrible, crass, clueless human being. Someone should tell her that heckling kids do not motivate them; it lowers their self esteem instead. I think allocating $10,000 to pay for an orthodontist was her way of telling Jurek and Samantha that Katie could be pretty if she had straight teeth. Ouch! She thinks the kids lack talent, so wouldn’t it have been better to use some of the money to send Zach to baseball camp and hire a voice coach for Katie? If her children had a mom like Samantha for say six months, I am willing to bet they would lose weight and become more active instead of being overweight and slovenly.

[did_it_again]

I agree with you NYGal. I wanted to like Lisa ,but she just wouldn't let me. She seemed to have a chip on her shoulder and she was a pain in the butt for interrupting the girls singing lessons and and for razzing that boy while he was at batting practice. In short she was obnoxious.
She seemed as though she wanted to jump in and make her presence known and change things ;rather than trying to get along with them.

[pin0yb0y]

doesnt the bower mom look like karen from TAR?

[candor]

Anyway, the Pilek family situation reminded me of an episode of this lower or working class family on tv (maybe it was Roseanne?). The father refused to buy gifts for his kids, because he wanted them to learn the worth of a dollar through getting jobs. No financially secure father would do something like that unless the kids were being disobedient troublemakers.

I agree about the gifts, but there are lots of well-off parents who don't indulge their kids either because they want them to learn the value of a dollar or a hard day's work.
Warren Buffett, who could safely be called rich, will be leaving his fortune to charity because he thinks giving children a huge inheritance does more harm than good.
Likewise, I work for a company owned by a very wealthy family. Each of their children and grandchildren worked their way up through the organization, beginning with the most menial jobs.
I think the point people were trying to make about the Pileks is that work builds character. A reward that's earned is much more valuable than one simply granted.

[rileycat]

I think that having Samantha for a week let the Bower's family all see a whole other side of life. The daughter loved going shopping and looking at girlie clothes, and wearing her hair down - and the son finally had someone who showed an interest in something he was interested in. Even the neighbors and in laws got to see it! Notice how the husband had to get up from the table and leave the room once Lisa started in? I didn't like the way she mocked Samantha's note too - it was corny but sincere, and her son deserved to hear the compliment in the way it was intended. She could NOT handle that this woman made an impression on her kids. All Lisa could say about Sam's family is that she liked the dog.