Do you think it's true that Lauren is weak? If so, do you think her problems with Rebecca genuinely stem from that flaw?

"Not everything deserves to be forgiven. Alice said I was weak." Do you think it's true that Lauren is weak? If so, do you think her problems with Rebecca genuinely stem from that flaw?

I don’t think she was weak. Sometimes our children struggle no matter how well we parent. Cyber bullying is especially difficult to combat given the strong influence of social media

No, I never felt she was weak. And, I don't believe that all of Rebecca's problems stem from Lauren. As someone pointed out earlier, eating disorders stem from all kinds of issues.

Lauren did not come across as weak. Balancing work and family is never easy; Lauren was seeking professional help for her daughter and worked diligently to improve herself. No, she was not weak.

The problems with Rebecca were not a sign of Lauren’s weakness. As a single parent she was under a lot of stress between her job and being there for her daughter.

No, I don't think Lauren was weak.
I don't think we were provided with enough information about Rebecca or her relationship with either of her parents to actually know what her problems with Rebecca genuinely stem from.

Absolutely not. Rebecca's problems were not necessarily related at all by her mother or her mother's own behavior. Eating disorders in teens are not that well understood and are extremely difficult to treat. I do think the bullying that she endured would have worsened her condition however.

I don't think Lauren was weak, but perhaps she didn't have enough self-esteem to assert herself as she should. I certainly don't blame her daughter's eating disorder on Lauren. The daughter had been treated badly at school and used her food dysfunction to gain some control in her life. I think they both did as well as they could with what they had available to them.

I don't think Lauren is weak, but I do think she lacks self confidence. She has wilderness skills as good as Alice's but she often hesitates to challenge Alice or assert her own opinion forcefully. For example, when Alice takes the compass and leads the group in what she thinks is a western direction, Lauren notices that Alice is not checking the compass often enough--but she does not confront Alice about that. As a result of Alice's being too confident in this case and Lauren not confident enough, the group walks in the wrong direction for several hours. The proof: Beth notices that the sun is setting, but not in the direction that Alice thought was west.

Lauren's lack of self confidence extends to her parenting: she worries constantly and blames herself for her daughter's problems.

Sadly, yes. However, I do not feel that interfere with her parenting. I think Lauren might have some form of mental illness. I am not a medical expert but I am thinking of borderline personality( let folks walk over her) or chronic depression or another mental illness. There are unanswered questions with Lauren childhood past. If she had a mental illness and found the right medication that works for her as well as a good therapist, maybe life would have been different for Lauren. I agree with the others that there were some unanswered questions with Rebecca’s.

References:

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression

https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder

I thought that Lauren exhibited a lack of self confidence. She obviously is capable in the work place and holds an enviable position there, and while on the outing her ability to function is clear - she has lots of outdoor and camping skills and more often than not picks up for Alice or where Alice should. Maybe she blames herself for her daughter's problems and that has caused her to lose confidence in herself or believe she is less worthy or capable, but she's genuinely not a weak individual. I'm not sure we know enough about her to know why she doubts herself and for sure we don't have clear enough picture of her relationship with her daughter to connect it to that.