Responses
You don't sound heartless don't worry, Ian is her son, he shouldn't have to be the one protecting her feelings by endorsing her unhealthy expectations for him. He should only have to think about teenage problems, not constantly walking on egg shells around his own mother in fear of hurting her or dissapointing her.
i feel a tad bit less angry over ian's mom but it still doesn't excuse the pressure she's putting on ian, dude's not even able to fully express his emotions without worrying about the image and that's after his mom quit alc, even before that, he was getting treated like an outcast. i understand the pain of losing your loved one but you need to remember that there's another being, that's dependent on you. i sound heartless maybe but im saying this from the standing of a person who's been through similar shiz