The Glass Castle, By Jeannette Walls

The Unfit Wells Parents The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, is a memoir that details the author's upbringing in a dysfunctional and impoverished household. The parents, Rex and Rose Mary Walls, conduct themselves as neglectful and irresponsible caregivers who consistently prioritize their own needs and desires over those of their children. Rex and Rose Mary's actions and behaviors have long-term effects of their neglect on the development and well-being of their children. Rex displays traits of alcoholism and neglectfulness, while Rose Mary unrealistically dreams and lacks responsibility for her actions. Although some view Rex and Rose Mary to have unique parenting styles that supplement their children's successes, the Walls children

They hold unhealthy ideologies that no kid can thrive in. After burning themselves, being pushed out of moving vehicles, burning themselves again, and becoming subjects of sexual assault multiple times, these children never experience true nurture and healing of their pain. The parents have a ‘big kids don’t cry’ attitude which is not a lifestyle young kids thrive in. Jeanette’s issues are shot down especially by her mother. When she informs her mom her Uncle Stanley was touching her and “...playing with himself”, Rose Mary sympathizes with Uncle Stanley’s loneliness and tells Lori, “If you don’t think you’re hurt, then you aren’t” (Walls 184). Telling a child this demonstrates extremely neglectful parenting because in order for children to grow, they need consolement, not to be told to ‘suck it up’. Allowing another person to engage in any indecent, immoral, or illegal behavior in front of the child that could undermine or jeopardize the child's morals (“NJ.law”) is child abuse. Since Rose Mary knows Uncle Stanley touched Lori and himself and disregards this as no big deal, she jeopardizes Lori’s young morals which causes future trauma in children. Despite Rex and Rose Mary not partaking in the sexual abuse of their children, their ignorance to the issue is equally as detrimental to the

The Walls children must grow up at a younger age than most because of their parents abandonment and neglect. When one's father or mother leaves for days, weeks, or months on end, or is present but not supervising, endangerment of the children increases. At an immature age of only three years old, Lori was standing on a chair in front of their stove when she bent over to pick up a hot dog with a fork. Momentarily, she felt heat on her side when she realized she was on fire and it spread up to her face (Walls 9). After a few days of hospital care, while Jeanette was not fully healed, her dad told her they are checking out “Rex-Walls style” (Walls 14). He ran out with her and upon arrival home, Jeanette once again cooked herself hotdogs because “...no one else was there to fix them for [her]” (Walls 15). Rex and Rose Mary fail to supervise their three-year-old, fail to allow her the extensive hospital care she needs, and after completely scorching herself with third degree burns, allowing her to cook hotdogs again at home without supervision is extremely endangering. This demonstrates the style of uninvolved parenting. “[Uninvolved parents] fulfill the child’s basic needs while generally remaining detached from their child’s life” (Sanvictores and Mendez). Although Rex and Rose Mary provide a roof over their children's heads or supply them with life-sustaining food, they are not present. They leave their