"Don't cry, don't raise your eye, it's only teenage wasteland,"" (Lyrics from the song Baba O'Riley, written by The Who). These lyrics show both of the different thoughts of Daisy and her son Donny, in the short story "Teenage Wasteland."" Although there are many instances where it is easy to sympathize with Daisy and the situation with her son, there are also times when you disagree with the choices she made involving Donny and begin to sympathize with him.
Daisy is shown as a loving and caring mother in a difficult situation with her son. Daisy often feels helpless when she watches her son do poorly on his assignments and tests. "She sat next to him as he worked, trying to be encouraging, sagging inwardly as she saw the poor quality of everything he did- (1170). No matter what she does to help, it is never enough and it doesn't help that her husband never offers to assist with Donny's progress. Without his help, it is becoming very difficult to complete the daily household tasks and tend to the needs of her daughter:.
Daisy was often late starting supper, and she couldn't give as much attention to Donny's younger sister. "You'll never guess what happened at - Amanda would begin, and Daisy would have to tell her, "Not now, honey-. By the time her husband, Matt, came home, she'd be snappish. She would recite the day's hardships "the fuzzy instructions in English, the botched history map, the morass of unsolvable algebra equations. Matt would look surprised and confused, and Daisy would gradually wind down. There was no way, really, to convey how exhausting all this was (1170).
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This quote demonstrates all of the strenuous work that Daisy puts in to help her son. But it also shows the small amount of attention that she is able to give the rest of her family. She feels awful about not being able to pay attention to her daughter, but in order for Donny to do better in school, she feels she must give him her undivided attention.
