Raising children is no small feat, but how do you do that with a dead father and while struggling money problems? Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) decided to go the “bad-girl” route and sell marijuana to keep her high life visage in-tact. Nancy has two kids: Silas Botwin (Hunter Parrish) and Shane Botwin (Alexander Gould). Silas is the average sixteen-year-old teenager and Shane is the weird elementary school kid. Nancy’s new life style -- the guilt of her knowing there is no father -- has led to her being more unusually liberal in the children’s upbringing. It seems it’s as if she wants the kids to experience the bad side of themselves in order to cope with the death of their father. Throughout the entire first season of Weeds, Shane is in the emergency room or the principal’s office while Silas is being brought home at four in the morning by the cops or out with his deaf girlfriend. Being in a suburb and being having high class status gives the family a little wiggle room when it comes to trouble and Nancy takes full advantage of that with her children.
Shane as he sits in the principal's office after trying to set the school on fire with the photo coming from Weeds, Season 1, Episode "You Can't Miss The Bear."
Silas as he is brought home from being caught while "tripping" on ecstasy. Notice the expression on the cop as if he knows Nancy (who is the person who answered the door). The photo comes from Weeds, Season 1, Episode "Listen To Me."
Nancy struggles to keep her family on the right track and it shows by the actions of her children and the choices they make. Shane copes with the death of his father by making terrorist tapes, selling vulgar t-shirts at school, and trying to set the school on fire. Nancy has to go to the principal’s office on a daily basis, but still she doesn’t punish her child. She understands the grief the child is going through, and she tells him that his actions are wrong and talks to him about the problems that he is having. The liberalism in her parenting is not to punish, but listen to effectively let Shane develop and learn to deal with the death of his father.
Silas, on the other hand, tries to deal with the death of his father by trying to grow up faster than he should. At only sixteen years old, Silas has already had sex and tried ecstasy. Nancy, being a marijuana dealer, doesn’t know how to deal with her older son’s problems without feeling like a hypocrite. She treats Silas just as she does with Shane, by talking to Silas about the problems he is having and how to correct them. Teenagers having sex in the parent’s house is normal, but not when the girlfriend of your son asks if they can have sex in your house. At that point, they talk about if they are ready for sex. In the episode “You Can’t Miss the Bear,” Silas and his girlfriend have sex and are caught by Nancy. The picture below shows just how liberal she is, because as soon as she finds out, she says “I’m trying to do laundry and my son is fucking in my guest room.” She then commences to sit down on the bed and just stare up at the fallen in skylight. This type of parenting is more effective in teaching than punishing them about asking. Getting the child ready for sex or other issues safer for the child than telling them that they are wrong for doing it.
Nancy’s child having sex at fifteen years old seems the least of her problems. Growing up in a suburban household, you usually have money and usually have the nuclear family of a father, mother, and two kids. A single mother living in a “high class” setting is very uncommon, but who decides the normal suburban household? A position in the neighborhood is determined by how much money can be flaunted, but a position in the family is based on who you are. Nancy feels that growth is discovering what you like by testing the limits. Her liberalism towards her children stems from her own actions of seeing how far she can push herself, before she breaks. Nancy has problems of her own that affect her children. The death of her husband accounts for some of her anger outbursts, because deep down she is angry at her husband for leaving her with everything. She is constantly trying to help her children get over something that she herself hasn’t accepted. She continues to watch videos of her and her husband; just like how Shane does as well. She teaches her children through correcting their actions, because she is going through the exact same thing. The Botwin family completely shatters the normality of a suburban household.
Nancy’s leniency with her family does cause some problems. Silas acts out a lot more due to his knowing that his mother won’t really do much to resist his rebellions, but that has been the only side-effect of a liberalist up-bringing. Shane finally accepts his father’s death and gets friends, while Silas eventually settles down with one girlfriend and keeps clean.
Shane, on the left, plays normally with his friends as he finally realizes who is
becoming and where he fits in. The photo comes from Weeds, Season 1, Episode "Death In the Nethers."
Silas and his girlfriend laying in bed as he proclaims "I love you" in sign language as he finally begins to lead a normal life. The photo comes from Weeds, Season 1, Episode "Death In the Nethers."
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