6 Questions From the Porch Swing for Rosemarie Mercer

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Today, Marita's mother, Rosemarie Mercer, joins me on the porch swing. As we begin, she's very unhappy with me, as a series of maternal responsibilities of my own delayed the writing of this post, and I had to reschedule her to this afternoon. So, with apologies, I'll begin.

Where will we find you when you’re not on the page of the book we’re reading?

Rosemarie: Well, today you will find me re-arranging my schedule in an effort to accommodate this blog post. Usually, I'll be busy with my volunteer work, at church, or perhaps even at home with my husband, Judge William Mercer, who is retired, but still plays a vital role in the community. 

What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you?

Rosemarie: I suspect there is quite a bit you'd be surprised to know about me. Unlike my daughter, I believe in discretion and prefer that my private life remain private.

What are your thoughts on children?

Rosemarie: Today's children are spoiled. Parents simply do not discipline them. When I was raising my granddaughter, she had limits. Charlotte understood, even from a young age, that there are consequences that accompany bad behavior.

What regrets do you have?

Rosemarie: I regret that my daughter chose to rebel and reject everything her father and I stand for. 

Whom do you admire? 

Rosemarie: My husband, of course, and the ministers at our church. They do God's work.

It seems that Jim's outlook on life is more similar to yours than Marita's is. Did you ever wonder if perhaps he should have gotten full custody of Charli? 
Rosemarie: Of course not! A child belongs with her mother. If Jim had wanted to be a parent, he should have accepted his paternal responsibilities from the very beginning. His late arrival has less to do with what's best for Charli and more to do with what's best for Jim.

6 Questions from the Porch Swing for Anna Fitzpatrick

Angel is blonde, Marita's a brunette and Charli is dark-haired like her mother. 

Anna, however, is never described. What do you think -- blonde, brunette or redhead? 

Angourie Rice via IMDB

Where will we find you when you’re not on the page of the book we’re reading?

Anna: (giggles) Singing and playing the piano, youth group, Instagram, texting friends. Maybe doing homework. 

What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you?

Anna: That I really do love my brothers, even though they drive me crazy. And I get really mad when someone else hurts them or makes them upset.

What are your thoughts on children?

Anna: Excuse me?? Let’s just say I’m glad Charli’s the one with the little sister. Although I guess having a sister might be kind of nice. But not nice enough to deal with diapers.

What regrets do you have?

Anna: None, really. I mean, I’m only 13. How much could I have messed up?

 Molly C. Quinn via IMDB

Whom do you admire? 

Anna: Lukas. He’s really cool, and even though it’s his job to talk about God all the time, he’s not preachy about it. And you can tell that he really means what he says, and tries to do the stuff he tells us to do. I respect that. Although the whole thing with Charli’s mom is kinda awkward. 

What do you think of Charli’s family situation? I feel really bad for her. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have your parents not even like each other, but I’ve gotta say that if I were Charli’s mom, I wouldn’t like her dad either. He waited until Chars was, like, five or something before he even started seeing her. That had to be awkward. Charli’s amazing. I don’t think I could be as okay with all of this as she is.

Bailee Madison via The TV Page