The Netflix series I Am Not Okay With This follows Sydney Novak as she gains the ability to manifest her anger, anxiety, and grief in telekinesis and other powers. The second half of the series hints that she has inherited these abilities from her father, who committed suicide.
On top of dealing with her new superpowers, she's also trying to navigate high school and her confusing romance with Stanley, while the girl she really likes is her best friend, who also has a boyfriend. Furthermore, she and her mother don't exactly see eye to eye. Maggie tells her daughter that she's a good mom, but Sydney doesn't see her that way at all.
10 GOOD MOM: Telling Sydney The Truth About Her Dad
Sydney is very confused about everything going on with her superpowers, and while her mom may not be aware of this particular struggle (or at least doesn't reveal her knowledge of it), she still tries to comfort Sydney about the loss of her father.
They don't bring up his suicide for most of the season, but when Sydney discovers relics he collected from his days in the service, Maggie decides to talk to Sydney and tell her what she knows of the truth. Unknowingly, she puts together the pieces of the puzzle Sydney's been trying to figure out. But she also treats Sydney like an adult, an equal, as she deserves.
9 BAD MOM: Making Fun Of Sydney In Front Of Dina
Maggie is often sarcastic to Sydney, but often, her sarcasm rubs Sydney the wrong way. She ends up kindling Sydney's anger and driving her further away.
Sydney's having breakfast with Dina at the diner Maggie works at. She lets Dina have the meal for free. Sydney asks why she always makes her pay, and Maggie replies, "Because Dina is nicer to me than you are, and I like her better than you." After a moment of awkward silence, Dina laughs it off, but Sydney's not smiling.
8 GOOD MOM: Working To Support Her Family
Maggie isn't home a lot of the time, often returning late from work and leaving early in the mornings. Her absence means that Sydney and Liam are forced to grow up quickly and take responsibility for themselves. They make their own meals and find their own ways to school.
However much Sydney may resent her mother, she's sacrificing her time to financially support her children. Sydney doesn't realize this, and she seems to take her mom and her hard work for granted.
7 BAD MOM: Blaming Sydney For Everything
Maggie is often frustrated, having to be away from home most of the time, and when she is at home, she's usually in a rush. One morning as she's getting ready for work, she asks Sydney where her stockings could be.
Sydney says she washed them, but Maggie immediately gets angry with her daughter. How could Sydney have known that she didn't want them washed on that day? She feels Maggie's anger is unjustified since she was only trying to help. Sydney also thinks stockings are outdated - but then again, so are most of the costumes and sets in the series.
6 GOOD MOM: Checking In With Her Kids
Even though she may not be physically present most of the time, Maggie still makes sure her kids are staying out of trouble. She cares about them and wants them to grow up in a safe environment.
She wakes Sydney for school and makes sure she actually goes, even though she's busy trying to get laundry done and leave for work. As she's leaving Sydney's room, she asks that she makes sure Liam has a proper dinner, which shows she cares about their nutrition and health, too.
5 BAD MOM: Always Assuming The Worst Of Sydney
Sydney's eating peanut butter on the couch when her mom joins with a glass of wine. Sydney tells her she was called into the counselor's office, and Maggie asks her what she's done. Sydney becomes defensive and says the counselor wants her to have an outlet.
Maggie doesn't understand - and isn't even giving Sydney her full attention - so Sydney tells her that she feels like the people she loves don't love her back, clearly referring to her mother. But Maggie only says, "Maybe you're aiming too high" as Sydney's eyes fill with tears.
4 GOOD MOM: Caring About How Her Kids Present Themselves
Maggie is, once again, leaving for work when she notices that Sydney's wearing the same clothes she wore the day before. Despite being preoccupied, she still notices these things.
She tells Sydney to change into something else, showing us that she cares about her kids' presentation. "You're making me look like a bad mom," she calls as Sydney goes to her bedroom. "And I'm a friggin' good mom!" Sydney doesn't change her sweater, but she does throw on a jacket.
3 BAD MOM: Making Sydney Feel Unloved
While Maggie shows her love for her children in her commitment to working, she's not exactly the most tender mother. Sydney craves comfort and reassurance, but Maggie is distant and distracted most of the time.
She constantly makes Sydney feel worthless by throwing out statements such as the one about liking Dina better, aiming too high, being an asshole, etc. Most of the time, she treats Sydney more like a maid than a daughter, asking her to take Liam places, cook meals, or do the groceries. The audience may understand that she's only asking because these tasks need to be done, and she doesn't have time to do them, but Sydney feels like she's just being used, not loved and nurtured.
2 GOOD MOM: Sticking Around
Maggie could easily have slipped away after her husband's suicide. She must have mourned him, but she knew she had to stick around for her kids' sakes.
If it weren't for Maggie's strength, her children would have been fending for themselves, or maybe even referred to social services. But she has been placing their health and wellbeing above her own needs during what must have been the hardest time in her life.
1 BAD MOM: Not Listening To Sydney
Maggie admits that she hasn't been perfect, but she doesn't attempt to change her behavior. Whenever Sydney tries to tell her anything, she doesn't listen and respond - she reacts.
For example, when Sydney says that she's practically like Liam's mom or that her dad would've understood her problems, Maggie feels offended, even though Sydney isn't trying to hurt her. She's only expressing her feelings in the only way she knows how - even if this is a very roundabout way. The root of Sydney and Maggie's problematic relationship is their lack of clear communication, and thus, their failure to connect and understand one another.
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