How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
James's parents are lawyers at a firm on Wall Street. They work even more than Mom and Dad do, but not because they need the money. Mr. Wentworth is from one of those families that haven't spent the whole trust fund yet. Mom says Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth are not qualified to be people, let alone fit to be parents. Dad says they are probably good lawyers and Mom shouldn't bad-mouth James's parents in front of him. (3.6)
It takes all kinds to have a family, but there are definitely times when you wonder why some people bother. Poor James has two parents who are at best disinterested and at worst neglectful of his emotional and physical well-being. Seeing something like that, when you work so hard to maintain your own family, certainly makes Mom mad. And who can blame her, when it seems like she's trying so hard to make up for their negligence.
Quote #2
We begin every September determined to continue our summer habit of having a civilized sit-down dinner during which we each review our day and discuss future plans. Mom likes to say the McConnell family dinner hour is sacred. And it is. I like hearing how everyone is and what Mom is working on or if Link has a track meet or Dad a plane to catch. It's nice, although, truth be told, our sacred hour tends to erode as the year progresses. (3.9)
These days it feels harder and harder to do things the old-fashioned way, so you have to respect Mom trying her darnedest to hold on to tradition. Eventually we'll all be getting status updates on Facebook in order to know how our sibling's day went.
Quote #3
The thing about Dad is that he makes you want and dread his attention at the same time. I like the fact that he's interested in my thoughts, but I'm always terrified of what he thinks about what I think. After all, I know he's judging whether or not my mind has any kind of a heartbeat yet. What can I safely say about what I thought? (3.21)
This is one of the reasons why Ellen and Link feel like they can't talk to their parents. If you're always being judged, wouldn't it feel less stressful to just keep quiet? Whatever happened to unconditional love?