MovieChat Forums > Invisible Child (1999) Discussion > Why The Kids DID Suffer Damage

Why The Kids DID Suffer Damage

posted 11 years ago by Lifeguardfan
10 replies | jump to latest

The oldest daughter sure did play some strings when talking to CPS. For a ten-year-old, being able to manipulate to that degree is impressive and most disturbing.

I understand the film had the "if it doesn't hurt anyone, it's nobody's business" attitude, but really?

ANY mental illness not only can have a negative impact on the person suffering, but those involved who have to keep up a charade are also suffering. The psychiatrist who said Doc was not suffering because she "knew that Maggie was fiction" is ridiculous. To ask a young child to enable a mentally ill mother is asking too much -- Doc had to step into an adult role, and this is confirmed when the father calls Doc his "partner." She had to fill the mother's shoes to some extent, because her own mother was not capable of being there for for them (she was too absorbed with Maggie).

The youngest, if allowed to continue believing he had a second sister and never grew out of this fantasy, imagine how hard it would be for him as he grew older, as a teen, or even adult, believing he had sibling that didn't exist. For a father to let it continue is selfish.

This family is a huge mess of co-dependency, and that affects EVERYONE. Co-dependency is just as unhealthy as any form of abuse, and keeps a cycle of unhealthy behaviors going on and on and on.

No child should have to cover for a mentally ill parent!

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I don't put movie quotes in my signature.

[–] greentrees3 11 years ago

Exactly. I see a mentally incompetent woman being allowed to manipulate the entire family into a charade. She needed professional help, not people feeding into her delusion. The husband did a grave disservice by going along with it. I think it was one of the strangest movies I have ever seen and that includes sci fi.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Naberrie218 10 years ago

Saw part of it on the LMN channel, and it left me confused. I didn't understand why they defended the mother, whose mental issues made it clear she was not fit to parent those children. I agree that the children did indeed suffer damage. Furthermore, everything was about catering to the mother's needs. Her husband's and children's lives, and even the nanny's became all about treading lightly around her mental illness, and instead of her getting serious help, they just let her do whatever she wanted, what a terrible message. Even the nanny caved in, and then the little girl "forgiving" her and saying "everyone makes mistakes"...I just wanted to say "No, little girl, she wasn't making a mistake, her only mistake is caving in to you and your father's ridiculous charade!"

[–] Shaboop 10 years ago

I beg to differ, if the mother's illness HAD been revealed then she would have been put in an institution...... Therefore leaving the eldest daughter to "become a parent" & pick up the pieces. As far as the little boy, at that age many families might chose to make him believe that his mother had left them or died because she was "put away"

Dealing with a parent that has a mental illness (or other extreme disability) HAPPENS ........ & it sucks for the family altogether but many people deal with it EveryDay!!!!!

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] branenj001 10 years ago

I found it hard to believe that the mother hadn't run into more akward situations over the years. It seems she's alone with Maggie often in the car. What if she'd been pulled over and the cop saw her talking to no one? Or she'd tried taking "Maggie" to the drs alone? I just find it hard to believe that up until the point of hiring a nanny, they'd not run into a situation where someone was called about the behavior.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] jashobeam5 9 years ago

Until you have been there you don't really know. Children are more resilient than many adults actually realize. I feel that my own parent's mental breakdowns were just part of our family. The imaginings, though scary to a child, do become, "Well, that's just our family" after a while. It is possible for a child to come through this and become a normal adult. My brother's own imaginings did not seem to scar his own child, though they are not close. Even if you have not one sane person in which to lean, you can still get through it and grow up normal. I know it sounds fantastic, but it can and does happen. My family is proof of that.

[–] lm362 8 years ago

The youngest child knew Maggie was not real. Watch the movie again and listen to what he says after Maggie dies. Doc and her father were partners in the sense of talking about her mother's condition and what she was doing to help things. She was not a replacement for her mother.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] 8 years ago

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