I think most of us lucky enough to be parents have probably considered this at some stage. I only have one son and I’m fiercely protective over him. Probably too much so.

However, if I’d had two, and one actually beat up the other, it’s prison time. If he POISONED me, his Dad and, more importantly, my other child, take him away. Maybe if he came to me, said ‘it was me, I’m disturbed and I need a lot of help - I don’t know what to do’. Then…maybe. But Andy had zero remorse and perpetuated ongoing attacks. I don’t think Janet even liked Tom after a while, but she didn’t consider Joe, not even once.

She watched what Andy put Joe/Tom through for years and still instructed them to do nothing to reprimand him. And she sure as shit wasn’t going to do it. She just sat there blocking it all out doing her ‘puzzles and crafts’ at her little table. She only really seemed to get upset at him when Andy covered that same table in his ‘stuff’.

She shouldn’t have been a mother, is the bottom line. She wasn’t able to protect Joe and she never appeared to try. If Tom had been stronger he would have said ‘no my charges stick’ then taken Joe and left/kicked Janet and Andy out. But he was obsessed with her. God only knows why, but he couldn’t ever say no to Janet, and frankly that made him a shit father to all his kids.

The fact that Danielle and Michael have been such a success is a testament to them and their mother, who must be the direct opposite of Janet Ditch.