Re: Steve as a father

Use this forum to discuss the April 2019 Book of the month, "Adrift" by Charlie Sheldon
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Re: Re: Steve as a father

Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Nyambura Githui wrote: 20 Apr 2019, 01:10 Though money was needed to take care of Jimmie, I think Steve should have put more effort to spending time with his son.
I guess he could have found a better balance between earning money and his son.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Cotwani wrote: 20 Apr 2019, 11:53 I think he tried the best he could. He needed the money to ensure Jimmy was comfortable. He thought about Jimmy often, and would go see him immediately he landed. All the same, I like the decision he finally made.
His last decision was what made him a great father. Before that, maybe he could have found an alternative to his job so that he could spend more time with Jimmie.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Susmita Biswas wrote: 21 Apr 2019, 04:36 Steve was a great father. Sometimes, parents have to leave their children alone at home when there isn't any other way.
True, though sad. I just thought that maybe Steve could could have found a better balance between his work and son.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Kaylee123 wrote: 22 Apr 2019, 15:24 If I'm looking at the situation practically, I can understand why Steve didn't see Jimmie as much as he should have. He was trying to support his son the best way he knew how which was financially. Unfortunately, this keeps Steve away for 8 months out of the year. But Jimmie needed to be somewhere safe and that costs money. I think he was doing the best he could.

From an emotional standpoint, Jimmie clearly needed more from Steve and that broke my heart. He needed emotional support that he wasn't getting. I'm impressed Jimmie was taking classes to try to better his situation, but having Steve around would probably have made that easier for him.

I was thrilled at the end of the book when Steve decided to retire and have Jimmie move in with him. I would like to think things really got better for Jimmie after that.
I think this sums up my thoughts exactly. I wanted Steve to find a midway between practicality and his son's emotional needs. So, the ending made me happy as well.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Kibetious wrote: 23 Apr 2019, 03:33
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 02 Apr 2019, 04:25 I think that Steve was a great father who worked himself to death trying to afford the care Jimmie needed, but I believe what Jimmie needed most of all was his father to be present.
This is equally true but there is also the question of how would they have lived if Steve had no source of income. His stay in the home would have definitely been cut and then there is the issue of basic needs.
True. But maybe, Steve could have found a job which would have allowed him to stay nearer to Jimmie.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Popcorn1 wrote: 24 Apr 2019, 06:13 Steve tried his best to make time for his son whenever he has free time. If he will quit his job as a sea Captain and find a job that will make him and his son closer, the chance of that happening is quite slim as it is hard to start over again when you have already built the foundation of your career.
Maybe, he could have given it a try for his son's sake.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Kibetious wrote: 26 Apr 2019, 04:36
Prisallen wrote: 04 Apr 2019, 17:49 I agree with the above statements that Steve needed to work in order to pay the bills for his son. It sounded like he tried to be with him as much as he could when he was between jobs. I'm glad that he chose to live with him at the end, even if it meant they might struggle a little bit to get by. I think his son would be happier and Steve wouldn't feel so guilty.
This is true. The fact that he survived the fire and also the perils at sea in the lifeboat may have somehow led him to consider the decision he made. No one would have been there for his son, Jimmie, if not him.
All those events put things in perspective for him.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Radiant3 wrote: 29 Apr 2019, 08:59 I think Steve was a good father who tried to help Jimmie by placing him in a place where he got the best care. However, Jimmie really needed his father to be actually present in his life.
Yes, Steve was a good father. He only needed to pay a little bit more attention to his son's emotional needs.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Kibetious wrote: 30 Apr 2019, 06:51 The fact that Steve was able to cater for his son at the Restorative facility meant that he cared for him. At times, I guess parents are left with a dilemma just as Steve. They always want their best for their children and in a place that appears everyone was struggling financially, Steve opted for work but also spent time with his son. I think balancing between the two was the main task.
Exactly. He could have found a better balance between his work and his son's emotional needs.
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Post by Poppy Drear »

It seems like just an unfortunate situation - sometimes, parents just can't provide the things their child needs most.
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Post by Gikonyo Caroline »

I think he was doing everything he could to play the role of single dad since the son requires medicare care that is expensive and someone must pay for it. He only failed to see his son because of the shipwreck. At the end he sacrifices hus maritime career to be a stay home dad to take care of Jimmie. He was my best character as a dad and captain
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Post by elizaron878 »

Steve was a single parent, and fully responsible for Jimmie, because his wife had seemingly left them.He was solely responsible for taking care of Jimmie, and had to be away as a Captain to do this.

I believe he did the best that he could under the circumstances.Any single parent can attest to that.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

Apart from Steve showing some good qualities as a father, I guess much can be told from how he valued the lives of his crew members over his job too. This may not be directly related to fatherhood but it reveals some traits too.
“It just hurts too much to admit what is wanted so badly when there’s no guarantee of its availability.”
- Dr. Larry Crabb
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

ViziVoir wrote: 30 Apr 2019, 23:02 It seems like just an unfortunate situation - sometimes, parents just can't provide the things their child needs most.
True. Though, it did have a fortunate ending as Jimmie got to move out with Steve.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Gikonyo Caroline wrote: 01 May 2019, 02:11 I think he was doing everything he could to play the role of single dad since the son requires medicare care that is expensive and someone must pay for it. He only failed to see his son because of the shipwreck. At the end he sacrifices hus maritime career to be a stay home dad to take care of Jimmie. He was my best character as a dad and captain
Well, his maritime career came to end because Buckhorn did not like his decision to jump ship, despite it being the right decision. So, his concern for Jimmie was not the primary reason behind that. Also, the shipwreck happened recently. He could have been with Jimmie more before the incident itself by finding a job closer to Jimmie.
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