But what about the kids?
The plot of Alias Madame Doubtfire is simple - family split up, kids are sad, parents hate each other, dad disguises as nanny, much tension ensues. However, it is the children’s characters who add real substance to the book. They are so easy to relate to, and so pitiful at the same time. It really makes me wonder how this novel is classified as humour especially considering the subject matter. It just doesn’t seem very funny.
Lydia, as the oldest child, takes on the typical “divorced child” role as the spokesperson, shepherd and chief defender of her younger siblings. Christopher is the middle child, stuck between adolescent maturity and childhood innocence - his reaction to the tensions in his world is a mixture of both. But Natalie - Natty - is the one who really breaks my heart. She’s barely school aged and all she can do is cry and hide from all of the anger.
It is Natty I most relate to. There was a time in my family’s life when my parents were less than comfortable with each other. I was 6 or 7ish, the youngest of four children, and mystified by all of the yelling that was happening. The mahogany desk became my sanctuary. This period in our lives didn’t last long, but at the same time, I was discovering how many of my school friends had divorced - or divorcing - parents, and for years afterward, every raised voice, slammed door, or grumbling look gave me the same anxious feeling. Now that I’m older I realize that though things were tough, my parents were committed to figuring out their differences, and that much of the tension was due to financial pressures - my childhood fears seem almost funny to me now. The thing is, reading this book makes me realize that if I, as the youngest child of a strong family could have such a reaction to a tense time in life, then what of the youngest child of a familial WWIII?