The Anna Edit #26 All dressed up to go to the kitchen

[PRgift]

I think influencers as a group find the transition into parenthood particularly difficult due to their everyday existence being all about them. When being you is your job it must be hard to retain a sense of proportion and not be all me, me, me!
Anna probably loves her child but doesn't like being a parent. Any adjustments she's had to make are all 'sacrifices' she wasn't actually ready or willing to make?

 

[Shutterbug99]

I'm of the opinion that Anna only had a kid to please Mark. That's why she's one and done - so it seems anyway. She never really wanted children and always said so. Mark, on the other hand, was ready for kids years before Ralph came along. She clearly doesn't enjoy motherhood.

Both Anna and Lily seem to resent their kids for various things. Lily only had kids as it's next on the list after marriage and she's a total box ticker. She has resented her daughter, in particular, since day one.

 

[poopettemetis]

I'm of the opinion that Anna only had a kid to please Mark. That's why she's one and done - so it seems anyway. She never really wanted children and always said so. Mark, on the other hand, was ready for kids years before Ralph came along. She clearly doesn't enjoy motherhood.

Both Anna and Lily seem to resent their kids for various things. Lily only had kids as it's next on the list after marriage and she's a total box ticker. She has resented her daughter, in particular, since day one.

I'm in this camp too. I get total "need to proliferate, women are second rate, Anna's just along for the ride in the cult" vibes. She always seems a little distant, with Mawk being the primary parent. Anna's there to carry the diaper bag, make food, and ensure Ralphie Chops is efficiently brainwashed so the next generation of cult followers can be successful

 

[PRgift]

Anna and Mark seem terribly conservative and old fashioned, Mark probably more so than Anna as she wants to be in with the cool kids crowd but is otherwise quite on board with gender stereotype roles and family values. I bet Mark wouldn't be so hands-on with a daughter as he is with his son and heir. He probably doesn't do much of the less fun, not trainspotting, stuff either.

 

[londongirl2001]

I think both Anna and Lily resent motherhood for having interfered with their cushy influencer lifestyle of late mornings, manicures, free lunches and gifted trips every week.
Edit: and the sad thing is, is that they’re both wrong. I think the pandemic and changing economy are responsible. While companies still send out freebies, the gifted or trips overseas have become much less. Also, when your content becomes as stale as theirs, and your desperate in your attempts to be accepted by gen z, then you’re bound to be left behind. I’m sure there’s a whole other generation of influencers that now leads the kind of life they miss.

 

[peppin]

I feel like Lily has coped with the transition a lot better.

by constantly complaining about how kids basically ruined her life? i think they are quite similar, it's just that they relationship dynamic is different (everything's about mark vs. everything is about lily)

 

[imtakingabath]

I dunno, I think it’s clear that Lily’s kids are at least a significant part of her life, she pretty much always takes them on holiday with her, whereas it often feels like Ralph is being hidden away/passed over to grandparents so Anna and Mark can live/display a certain lifestyle.

 

[Ivegotatheory]

I don’t view it like this at all, right from the beginning Anna chose to shield Ralph far more than Lily ever did with Grey and Rudy. She doesn’t mention him anywhere near as much as she values his privacy. Lily doesn’t…everything is fair game for the engagement. Yes, she shields their faces….But they still appear a lot, and get talked about a lot. Anna just doesn’t open as up as much as Lily, and there’s nothing wrong with that TBH.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

I get the impression Anna’s parents are willingly hands-on, actively involved in raising Ralph. It’s lovely for a child to have that. I believe he is the first & only grandchild (and maybe great grandchild) so there’s that too.

Whereas it feels like Lily's parents are certainly involved but far less interested in the grind of childcare. They are likely older (given Lily is the youngest of three) and already have so many grandchildren so there’s no novelty factor. Plus it’s not like Lily is short of money so why should grandparents take on more of an unpaid role of childcare if they aren’t so inclined.

I think it sticks in Lily’s craw that her children aren’t special in the way that her parents first grandchildren probably were, even if it’s just perception. And she was/is probably jealous of Anna for having that spotlight within her own family.

 

[LittleBluebird]

Hi! I still read but haven’t been commenting, but I just couldn’t pass this one up. I was at my local bank yesterday and they’d renovated it. They have a cafe in there now and it looks just like Anna’s cafe/kitchen with the fluted walls and same bland coloring. My first thought was wow! That looks exactly like her kitchen

 

[bumblebee365]

Another building that reminds me of Anna’s extension is the newer style of McDonalds with the wood and glass and squarish shapes

 

[poopettemetis]

Another building that reminds me of Anna’s extension is the newer style of McDonalds with the wood and glass and squarish shapes

All it needs is a playhouse precariously situated next to a koi pond and a greenhouse for househusbands to potter around in and you'd be hard pressed to find any differences.

 

[Acuriousviewer]

Another child free holiday...definitely putting it down as work!

 

[peppin]

I'm not saying that they should take ralph with them everywhere all the time, but the way they keep on going on holiday without him is pretty odd to me. My parents did seychelles with an 2 y.o. and a 4 y.o. without any complications, so mallorca with one kid seems pretty doable to me.

Also, even though i think parents spending time apart from their kids is beneficial, it's not like anna and mark barely see each other. They are literally hanging in their house every day, barely doing anything, with their kid being often either with his grandparents on in the kindergarten.

 

[under the ivy]

Why did she even have Ralph? I get spending time together as a couple but they live together, work together… I use the term work loosely as well. The sense of privilege is astonishing.

 

[londongirl2001]

Ha I knew they wouldn’t take the kid her asking for fancy restaurants recommendations all over the island was too obvious.
Anna longs for the times when she could give her entire attention to Mawk, her king among men. She clearly feels she can’t do that when they’re 24/7 in the mouldy mansion with the child around.

 

[jazzmonster]

Another child free holiday...definitely putting it down as work!

That photo looks like it’ll be appearing in a true crime documentary one day.

 

[LittleBluebird]

Another child free holiday...definitely putting it down as work!

Looks like bring your child to work day to me

 

[Pippa2]

I really would not be surprised if it’s that mouldy house making her sick so often. The fact there was so much visible mould, can you imagine how much is hiding in the walls, behind tiles etc living in a house with mould issues for a few years now. She gets ill monthly. I’ve had friends get sick from living in mouldy rentals in London. As soon as they moved to somewhere without mould their health improved…

How did they get a survey that passed the mortgage if it’s so bad? Or the survey can state the damp and cost to fix it & it’s up to them?

 

[jazzmonster]

How did they get a survey that passed the mortgage if it’s so bad? Or the survey can state the damp and cost to fix it & it’s up to them?

If you only pay for the cheapest survey option available, they just go “yup, it’s a house” and value it according to postcode.

Surveyors are not allowed to move furniture, lift carpets etc, so sellers can get away with quite a lot. Although, you’d expect an experienced surveyor to already smell that damp from a distance.