The primary duty of a parent is to raise their children to be happy and well-adjusted adults. When raising a child, it's essential to treat them fairly and with unconditional of love. Unfortunately, millions of children have parents who are unable, or unwilling, to give them the upbringing they need and deserve. In "The Glass Castle," Jeannette Walls portrays "Mom" as a flawed parent, but one with both good and bad qualities.
One of Mom's most significant traits is her optimistic attitude. For example, the Wall's family decide to buy a house in, but they could only afford one that is old and run down. When the family arrived at the house on moving day, Mom said, "arrive at the house she says, "There are people in Ethiopia who would kill for a place like this." (Walls 151) Mom is aware that their current conditions of living are very poor, but she wants to make the best of what they have. She does not want the kids to be sad about what the house lacks, but rather be grateful for having a place to call home. In addition, when they were staying with Erma in Welch, Jeannette tells off Erma for being racist and says she hates her. Mom defends Erma by saying, "Everyone has something good about them, " she says, "You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that."" (Walls 144). Mom is making the stay with Erma easier by choosing to ignore all of her bad traits. She does not let all of Erma's less desirable qualities affect her overall attitude. Furthermore, the Walls experience a very cold winter in Welch, and try to keep warm any way possible. The whole family huddles around a small stove and Mom says, "We may not have insulation, but we have each other." " (Walls 176). She knows that being cold is not as important in the big picture as having a family is and she chooses to dwell on that. This causes her to be happy even in the not so good circumstances she is in. While optimism is a positive quality that Mom possesses, it is not her only one.
