Heartstopper: A Parent's Perspective
Added 2025-02-01 00:50:29 +0000 UTCHi!!
In true form, I am sliding into the last day of the month with our bonus episode. I am excited to share this one with you and hear your thoughts! I sat down with listener and my dear friend, Andrea, to discuss the parents of Heartstopper. Andrea is a mother and a Heartstopper superfan and shared an abundance of good insight on all of the parents but especially, our girl Jane. We get into the good, the bad, and the funny choices we see each of them make throughout the series. Andrea is here in this space so if you leave any comments for her, she can respond. Additionally, she is over in our discord channel.
Thank you all so much for hanging out here with me! I appreciate you!! Next month, we will be hearing from my friend Janet who is a licensed therapist so feel free to dm or email over any questions you might have for her! See you then!
xx
Comments
Ok this comment made me well up. Parenting is so hard…with no answers that work for every child. I have four and I have to parent each of them differently… You can do this! I’m sorry for the hard times your mom had and am proud of how she made better choices to be a better parent for you. As often as Jane makes bad choices, I honestly don’t believe they are ever done from malice or a lack of love for her kids. She’s overwhelmed with her own life as well as trying to do the best for her kids which is fucking hard…
Andrea Brown
2025-02-27 20:07:30 +0000 UTCThis was such a beautiful episode, thank you Andrea for your perspective! I have always had a soft spot for Jane, probably because the comic gives a little more insight into her rough childhood. I also cried way more at the end of episode 3 than episode 4. That moment to me was the moment Jane finally understands what’s going on with Charlie and I feel that she’s flooded with concern, love, and regret/guilt for how her past actions may have worsened things. My kids are still very young but I empathize with Jane seeming to want to do the right thing but not always knowing how, getting frustrated with that, and then taking it out on her kids. She’s human and I believe she loves her kids but really struggles due to the lack of examples of good parenting in her childhood. My mom also had an abusive childhood and also developed anorexia. With the anorexia diagnosis she was quite literally abandoned by her mother and lived in a mental hospital for years before her father finally took her in. My mom was an amazing mom in spite of all this but I know she often struggled to know what the right thing to do was, and beat herself up about it too much - still does. I think that’s why I have empathy for Jane and why this storyline hits me so hard. Andrea I wish you and your family all the best, I can tell you’re doing a great job as a mom! I hope I’m able to do just as well with my kids.
hsmandy
2025-02-27 16:56:14 +0000 UTCI agree about Alice not wanting her to just be a bad mom but to show the complexities of not only parenting but also being your own person at the same time. It’s f**king hard a lot of the times!
Andrea Brown
2025-02-05 04:16:09 +0000 UTCThis was such a great idea for a bonus episode. And not just because I tend to agree with Andrea’s analysis of the actions of one Jane Spring! I would like to add that I think that Alice is a bit of a Jane apologist too. I think when they added the flashback to the comics that indicated Jane was hit as a child, it was to emphasize the complexity of her character. She isn’t just a villain and antagonist in the story: she has a need for control in a different way than Charlie does. And while she’s the adult and needs to be more thoughtful and deliberate with her actions, I don’t think Alice means to paint her as a bad mother. I really enjoyed the detailed analysis in this bonus episode!
Sophie Grudin
2025-02-04 04:51:12 +0000 UTCLoved this 💖
Sandra Day
2025-02-02 13:54:06 +0000 UTCThank you! That means a lot to hear!
Andrea Brown
2025-02-01 21:55:42 +0000 UTCYes, comic Sarah has a couple of interactions like that! We also get the scene of her telling him off in Menorca but we obviously don’t get that in the show. Hopefully we get some kind of interaction from her in season four which she will definitely be in when it definitely happens.. lol Also this is such a good question about what support the clinic offered Jane and Julio! I am curious if they got any support at all. And I wonder if there is a UK equivalent of PFlag or some other LGBTQIA support group. Perhaps Adam can share some insight or someone else in here who is from the UK.
Ashley and Alyssa
2025-02-01 21:42:57 +0000 UTCI wonder about what kind of support Jane & Julio got from the clinic that Charlie was at. I hope that part of the clinic's policies is to offer guidance and support to parents/safe adults/caregivers for when the kids come out of inpatient treatment. I also noticed Big Changes in how both of them interact with Charlie once he's back home and I was so glad to see it! Also, is PFLAG still a thing? I could see all the loving parents forming or leading one to offer support to other parents. And in one of the latest updates, Sarah says explicitly that David has to be "respectful" if he's back at home and that feels like necessary growth in making sure homophobia, biphobia & generally shitty behavior is not tolerated in the Nelson house! ✊🏳️🌈
Cynthia G
2025-02-01 17:59:30 +0000 UTCThis was a great conversation, thank you! Andrea, your kids are lucky to have you!
Cynthia G
2025-02-01 17:54:29 +0000 UTCVery interesting and agree on the whole about Jane’s progression but I just wish she’d take a deep breath sometimes before she speaks!! Charlie does act like a teenager ( after all that’s what he is!) but he is mature and has learnt to react to his environment! Nick is only good for Charlie and I feel Jane hasn’t bothered to witness that! Enjoyed listening to the conversation and all the points were well thought through! Thank you ☺️
Jo S
2025-02-01 14:10:52 +0000 UTC
