MovieChat Forums > A Home of Our Own (1993) Discussion > Pink T-shirt

Pink T-shirt

posted 15 years ago by jachooz
12 replies | jump to latest

I never could understand why Shane couldn't just explain to his mom tha the T-shirt had to be white and they could have bleached it for next to nothing. He didn't need a new one. Plus, he needed it for school - it was not just for fun.She went out for beers after work many times. I sure she drank more money that the shirt was worth.
Also, if shane had told his mom about how his PE teacher humiliated him in front of the other students - don't you think she would have marched down to that scholl and put that SOB in his place? She would have given it to him and make him feel like dirt for singling him out when the reason he didn't have a white shirt was they were too poor to buy more.

[–] jamesabutler44 15 years ago

I never could understand why the gym teach was such an *beep* about the t-shirt! As for Shane telling his Mom - he didn't because of the reason you stated. He didn't want his mom coming to the school and embarrassing him.

[–] dwarol 15 years ago

A few coaches are like that -- they're just petty dictators who take advantage of their power over kids to feel big themselves.

Others think it's a way of "molding" a kid into a team player and helps build team cohesion in everybody else on the team at the expense of the kid being picked on.

Some coaches like this do have successful teams, but usually it's because they have other skills that make up for this bullying behavior.

[–] dwarol 15 years ago

I've turned a few T-shirts shirts pink myself, and bleaching never gets it out.

As for spending beer money, you could have said the same thing if she smoked. At what point do you say a parent has sacrificed enough for her kids? Do they have to give up every pleasure for themselves? Things like beer and cigarettes can be ultimately harmful, but it's little pleasures like these that can keep people going in difficult times.

[–] debmet59-1 9 years ago

Dwarol, I understand what you're saying, but I can't help but think that in real life if anyone should get little pleasures, it should be children. I went back to school when I was in my early twenties with a 3 year old and newly divorced with no child support ever. Money was tight as you can imagine. This was my predicament not my little boy's. I could stretch a dollar and even though there would be weeks at a time that I would have nothing except for peanut butter and crackers, I made sure that he had plenty of good food and a few goodies to eat. I was careful and made sure that he had appropriate clothes that were clean, albeit they came from Wal-Mart. I made do. There was a woman older than me in my class that was getting public assistance and had two kids older than my son with the oldest being 11. This woman had nice clothes, smoked like a chimney and went to the bars every night. She would talk about partying all the time. One day I saw her and her kids at the store, she had 7 boxes of macaroni and cheese and a case of beer. The kids were telling her that they were tired of eating that every day and one said it wasn't fair because she ate out every evening. She came unglued and told him that she had a life too and to stop being so selfish. It was sickening and very sad.

I had no regrets then about missing out on little things. I look back and think about the close relationship that he and I had and that he always knew he was loved, safe and that he had nothing to worry about. I think about this particularly today as this would be his 37th birthday, but he was in an accident when he was 15. I can't imagine how horrible I would feel to look back on our lives together knowing that I didn't put him before everything. That's what mom's are supposed to do. I've always wondered about that woman and what her relationship is with her children now.

[–] IcingOnTheCake 8 years ago

The point was though to show hardships. It's what the movie is all about. The boy didn't tell his mother is also a point.

I agree with regarding the abuse of the welfare system. Some do help, at least for a limited time, sometimes things happen unexpectedly. The elderly and the truly disabled of course need more assistance.
I remember a story one of the newsmagazines did years ago which profiled a welfare family. I can't remember if they smoked but I believe so. They asked the man why he didn't look for a job and he said there weren't any and he spent his day sitting around. They went shopping with the woman and she was buying the expensive prepackaged meals and such. They asked her why she didn't buy basic ingredients to make meals and stretch her budget. Her excuse was that they wouldn't eat it. They would if that's all they had in front of them. They may even have liked it more. Their check was late and the man got right on that. He was then able to call around and do whatever he had to it. His motivation was choice. The news people found him a job. He soon quit. It was no surprise. Reform is needed. They should have a limited time frame and have to do community service for the amount of time they've received help. The money doesn't come out of the pockets of the legislators, it comes from the salaries of the working which could use that money for their own families.

There's a difference between allowing yourself a few luxuries and obsessing over your children. Most people have what ifs, even the best of parents. My condolences on your loss. As you'd though stated, "he always knew he was loved, safe and that he had nothing to worry about". That's more important than things.

[–] MrsMonroe74 14 years ago

going out for drinks doesn't mean she was paying for them herself.

______________________________
brush your breath,brush your breath,brush your breath with dentyne.

[–] author004 12 years ago

Agreed. The night she went out after work (the night she got the electrical box), I figured Norman bought her the drink(s).

Losers always whine about doing their best; winners go home and "eff" the prom queen

[–] LadyLovie 14 years ago

no,she did'nt buy the drinks. that guy that turned out to be a jerk offered to take her out for drinks.

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popeye has ate his spinach

[–] MadSimian 12 years ago

Well, when he was forced to sit with the girls because of the shirt, he happened to sit next to the one that would eventually become his girlfriend(and, later, his wife as well iirc). I think that might have something to do with him insisting on a new shirt(which he knew they couldn't really afford anyway). That way, he could tell the coach "truthfully" that he told his mom and that she wouldn't buy him a new one. The coach would then "force" him to sit by the girls time and again and he'd get to know his future spouse better. lol

That's my take anyway. :D

**edit**Actually, in case anyone is wondering, I've just recently rewatched this and, when it finally comes to the scene where he asks his mom for a new t-shirt, he says that something GREEN had gotten into the wash. Which implies that she's already bought him one to replace the pinkified t-shirt and that he sabotaged the replacement so that he could sit by Rayme(the girl he ends up dating eventually) again. So I was pretty close in my assumption above.

Sig-A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence a lot of IMDb board users.-me paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw

[–] nikkivisser 8 years ago

this was filmed during the great pink shirt shortage of 1993.

[–] willrogers 8 years ago

Kids shouldn't even HAVE to wear the same colours of T-shirts and shorts during gym classes. That is pure bureaucracy!

[–] Ashaod43 8 years ago

Thats not white its titty pink. Lol, coach was such a douche.