Trope that can die:
Grown men telling their small sons to “take care of things now” like their grown, capable mother isn’t standing right there, listening.
HOLY FUCKING PENIS OF CHRIST CAN I RANT ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT?
I got told that when my dad died. By EVERYONE. “You’re the man of the house now.” “You have to be strong.” “You have to take care of your mom and sisters.”
Do you have any idea how FUCKED UP a thing that is to say to a 13-year-old boy? How much it damaged me to have to play my mother’s “enforcer” when my sisters wouldn’t listen to her? How much it damaged me that I WASN’T ALLOWED TO MOURN until FIFTEEN YEARS later?
I’ll give you a clue: I have PTSD/CTSD. The kind abused children get. THIS IS CHILD ABUSE.