[Andy McDandy]

For me, there's all that plus something else. The sense that she would prefer the image of an ideal, successful, happy family to an actual one.

She puts her kid through public school in order for her to have an experience her parents would have died for. But as we read on and between the lines, we realise the kid hated it, couldn't relate to the rich kids (this is no local academically successful independent place, but somewhere princess Anne went), and the parents practically bankrupted themselves for it. In the end the kid was happier at the local comp, where her siblings had gone. But that wouldn't have done. There's no money in "My family all get along really well, live comfortably but within our means, and communicate happily with each other". There is though in "I want everything to look perfect so our neighbours are green with envy, but it's so goddamn hard and nobody appreciates this but me".

It's like looking at two families. One of them's scruffy, the kids have hand me down clothes and scabby knees. The other are all rictus grins, carefully ironed clothes and "Don't do that Timothy, it's not nice". Which family is happier? Which one is the less dysfunctional? Which one is odds-on the more loving and supportive?

Sibary and the Mail would probably go with the opposite of what you and I think. But they insist on peddling the message that the idealised, unattainable mannequin family is better than the warts and all organic variety.

[crabcakes_windermere]

We also need to remember that this is all warped to order through the Dacre filter - because it's a woman who wants this ideal family, and women are to be portrayed as shallow, weak, vain, flirty things.

There's probably exaggeration going on in some elements. But even they are exaggerations that harm her kids while directly financially benefitting her.

[catscradle]

So, we have Shona offering a blow job to the school bursar in return for money off the school fees, and he 13 year old daughter Annie waggling her arse at the Chinese takeaway guy for an extra spring roll.

Lovely.

What we sadly probably had is Annie being utterly mortified at her mum making out she flirts with the takeaway guy to flog papers for Paul 'cunt' Dacre.

Most mail journos I just dislike. Littlejohn is a twat for cash. Letts is an oily creep. Hopkins is a dreadful British knock-off of Ann Coulter. Hitchins is a pompous misery. They're all either peddling ignorance or arrogance for cash. Shona Sibary though is the only one I flat-out loathe, because more or less her entire output relates to using or humiliating her children. She should be the person they trust the most, not the one they can't talk to in case it ends up on the telly the next day. She's like one of those awful seaside B&B owners who you realise only had kids to get some free staff.

I genuinely think there's grounds for a child abuse case against her.

I was about to post that it is tantamount to child abuse, aided and abetted by the DM


Please be gentle, first post here, have been lurking for months though

[Kreuzberger]

I was about to post that it is tantamount to child abuse, aided and abetted by the DM


Please be gentle, first post here, have been lurking for months though

Welcome. Why not pop over to the Introductions thread in Off Topic and tell us more about yerself?

[catscradle]

I was about to post that it is tantamount to child abuse, aided and abetted by the DM


Please be gentle, first post here, have been lurking for months though

Welcome. Why not pop over to the Introductions thread in Off Topic and tell us more about yerself?

Thanks, I will do that

[davidjay]

I wonder what the reaction would be if she hadn't said spring rolls (Chinese - hard-working and know their place) but rather poppadoms or, God forbid, cheap taxis?

[Andy McDandy]

Very good point.

[Big Arnold]

Why every mum needs a male au-pair: No skimpy clothes. No flirting with your husband and they'll even fix the leaky taps

Fabien may have been lacking muscles and a macho bent but the second day saw his mettle well and truly tested when Monty, then a mischievous eight-year-old, discovered, to his glee, that he was able to perfectly aim his pee into a water pistol.
He then proceeded to squirt the contents all over Fabien and his carefully ironed wardrobe

I'm sure she's boasted about that before.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... z4FPnK8ABt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mattomac]

Though according to Andrea Loathsome in her capacity as an "employer" he is probably a peadophille.

[Agnes]

How does she know he's not going to flirt with her husband?

[Lardboy]

I reckon he is actually Sven from ISIHAC.

[youngian]

Like many mothers struggling to get through the long summer holidays with children at home while trying to keep up some semblance of work,

Doesn't she pack them off to boarding school? But having them around for a few weeks is a tedious chore depsite being a flexible home worker.

I thought the answer was to hire an au pair to share the domestic chores and help with my brood.
This was the ninth girl we’d hired in 11 years, but what on earth had possessed me to invite this nubile numpty into my home and swan around the kitchen half-naked and do little else? Isn’t marriage hard enough without putting daily temptation like this in the way?

Seems that no one else wants to work for you

[Watchman]

Is Liz Jones not looking for work?

[Andy McDandy]

Hasn't she bankrupted herself putting number one daughter through a posh boarding school the kid hated?

[Bones McCoy]

So, we have Shona offering a blow job to the school bursar in return for money off the school fees, and her 13 year old daughter Annie waggling her arse at the Chinese takeaway guy for an extra spring roll.

Lovely.

One's reminded of the Andrew's Sister's cover version [youtube]zGxL2uNr7bk[/youtube]