Woah, things are heating up in the latest episode of Switched at Birth! Oh, the drama, the insanity, the tears, the lies, the guilt, the shame; gotta love it!
The secret is out. I think most of us suspected that Regina knew about the switch the entire time. The way Daphne found out, by looking at what Regina hid in the guitar case, was awful. Poor Daphne. I felt really bad for her.
I totally understand why Regina kept this a secret for so long. What else could she have done? She was put in a terrible position and I think she did the best she could. She explained to Bay, "You were Bay Kennish by then, and I would have been ripping you from the only family you ever knew." However, she should have known that the secret was going to come out as soon as she met the Kennishes. I think she should have come clean when everyone else found out about the switch. But, easier said than done.
It seems as if Daphne thought that her father left solely because she became deaf when she contracted meningitis. I think it is common for children to blame themselves when parents separate or divorce. Jamie Berke talked a little bit about this in her blog post, Blaming Deafness For Parents Leaving? I guess you can say he left because of Daphne, indirectly. But, I don't think he left because she became deaf. It seems obvious to me that he left because he suspected that Regina cheated on him once he found out that he was not related to Daphne. He and Regina were obviously not doing well together anyway, with their drinking and his accusations of infidelity. I believed Regina when she said that he was going to leave anyway.
This part of the show was interesting and got me thinking about hearing parents with deaf and hard of hearing children. It can't be easy to suddenly find out that your child is deaf or hard of hearing. It can be stressful as you are bombarded with information coming from different sources about how you should raise your child. Then come the doctor visits, figuring out what hearing aids to use, whether or not to implant, how you should communicate with your child, what schools he or she should attend, and etc. Having a child in general can be stressful (from what I have heard). Some people can handle it and some can't. But, I think it would be rare for a parent to want to leave solely because their child is deaf or hard of hearing. I am sure it has happened before, but I don't think it is the norm. What do you think?
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I agree that the father leaving was about his suspicions of infidelity and not Daphne becoming deaf. I was very fortunate that my husband and I were on the same page about everything when we found out our son was deaf. He is also very involved in everything. I could see how it could quickly ruin a marriage if the parents were not in agreement about what was best for the child or if the decisions and stress were handled by only one of the parents without the participation of the other. It does get stressful calling doctors, taking time off work to go to appointments, etc. I cannot imagine the resentment I would feel if my husband did not take an active role in everything with me.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Elizabeth , I KNOW people that got divorced bc of the disability of their kid.Some just can't handle the extra stress and grief.
ReplyDeleteAs for Switched at birth..it was a hell of an intense episode! I felt bad for Regina as everyone kicked her out..but she should've come clean long ago.
Yeah, usually disability (or the stress of it) is used as the last straw for leaving, they dont want to be tied down with responsibilities. They may planned on leaving sooner or later but disabilities always make people run to the exit door quicker than they normally would. Its unfair for them to treat people with disabilities that way.
ReplyDeleteThey should forgive her. I mean many parent who adopted dont tell their kids either, but since she knew of the switch, could she be charged of kidnapping for not reporting? Did she report it?
ReplyDeleteI think it's more because the dad believed Daphene wasn't his. Don't think it has much to do with her being deaf. But,I have known of parents who would treat their child differently when they found out their child is deaf.
ReplyDeleteI think Regina did the best she could. If it was me, I'd want my real daughter back. I would also ask for joint custody of the one I raised. I'd give the other parent that opportunity too.
Candy~
Even though he was doing what all jerks do when it comes to relationships and commitments and had doubts before she was deaf, but It was after she was deaf, he was determined the child isn't his by sneaking paternal dna swab testing on her. He rejected the child right there because she is deaf.he would have done the testing sooner but he didn't.
ReplyDelete@anonymous 8:02 p.m. No, I believe he did it before Daphne became deaf. From what Regina said, it was because of her blue eyes, fair skin, and blondish red hair.
ReplyDeleteBut, it seems as if he did leave right after Daphne they found out that she became deaf. So, who knows why he really left.
Yes, read that part which is why i wrote he had his doubt, but i swear, i read from the caption she said he snuck a swab testing after she was deaf.
ReplyDeleteMaybe so, will have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteMe too, need to double check
ReplyDeleteThat would be interesting. Aaw, poor Daphne. :(
ReplyDeleteI was a bit disappointed in the characters this epsiode (especially Daphne), and I definitely felt bad for Regina. There was a question about the legallity of the situation so...
ReplyDeleteLegally, Daphne was Regina's daughter and it is mostly certainly NOT kidnapping just because she knew. The laws vary from state to state but in general the courts side with biological parents. A child isn't a chair or a lamp -- you can't just trade. When Regina found out, she would have had to sue for custody of Bay (and the Kennishes would have counter-sued for custody of Daphne). If both sides agreed, then everybody goes home happy. The problem is that BOTH sides would want BOTH children.
But ultimately the court does what's in the best interest of the children. Given Regina's problems at the time, it's unlikely the court would award her custody of Bay. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the Kennishes would get both girls. Likely, the court would award a family member of Regina's (like her mother) temporary custody and Regina would have an opportunity to clean herself up and get custody later. In other words, biology either wins or loses but it won't win for one side and lose for the other. The only exception is if the child is old enough (12 in most states) to weigh in on what he or she wants.
Regina's conflict is a case of nature versus nuture. WHO is HER daughter? Is it determined by biology? Or is there an emotional connection between mother and child? Clearly she took the side of nuture and I agree with her. Because if you side with biology then you're saying adopted children are somehow less legitimate. You can't have it both ways.
I'm disappointed that Daphne feels the way she does. I almost wish I was a character so I could ask her a question. If she feels so strongly about being with her biological parents, then growing up without Angelo shouldn't have mattered once she found out he wasn't her father. Again, you can't have it both ways.
I feel like I'm missing something. The hospital brought up the fact that Regina knew about the switch, but what does that have to do with the hospital's mistake? Regina found out 3 years after the hospital made their mistake. Just because Regina knew they were switched doesn't make the hospital's mistake okay. The hospital should still be sued for their mistake (because that is in the parents' interest) and it shouldn't matter who knew about the switch afterward. Did anyone else notice this?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 9:52 a.m.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wondered too how the hospital was going to use the fact that Regina knew about the switch against her and the Kennishes. Perhaps they will insinuate that Regina made the switch for whatever bizarre reason and that the Kennishes knew about it as well. We'll have to see where they go with this.
I'm so glad you're talking about the show here because i totally need to vent after the last episode! daphne was completely out of character with her escipade with that boy. and i felt everyone's reaction to regina was way too harsh. i think emmitt is adorable but i'm afraid he is playing a game with bay and is going to turn into a bad guy :( overall, i thought the drama in the last episode was over the top and a little unrealistic. but, you bring up a great topic about parents, and that is the great thing about this show- it gets people thinking and discussing. i'm going to head over to Jamie's blog to read the article you mentioned!
ReplyDelete"If she feels so strongly about being with her biological parents, then growing up without Angelo shouldn't have mattered once she found out he wasn't her father. Again, you can't have it both ways."
ReplyDeleteoh, it matters a lot, more than you think. Very hurtful.