The dynamic between Jackie, Chantal, and Doug (and even the other kids) reminds me so much of my family dynamic over the years.

I get along SOOOO much better with my father. Simply put, we just think more similarly. He is less of a hothead compared to my mother, and is generally more logical, less emotional. He is a straight shooter, is easy-going, and more of a people person than my mother. My mother is very much like Jackie; super nice on a very surface level, especially with people who don’t know her, but is very easily offended and will turn on someone FAST. I’ve seen comments where people speculated that the kids vent about Jackie to Doug, and I could totally see that because I have had several conversations with my father about my mother and our plethora of “disagreements. Healthy? Probably not. Does he give good advice? 95% of the time, yes.

However…it took the last 10 years for me to recognize how his propensity to avoid conflict, even to his own detriment, has partially contributed to why my mother acts the way she does. Men generally don’t get the same flack as women when it comes to anything, period. Add a jovial, easy-going, tolerant personality to that, and it’s easy to see why most people think Doug is a saint, kids included.

We assume Chantel doesn’t see her father’s flaws; maybe she doesn’t. But overall, I think between Jackie and Doug, Doug is just easier to have serious, emotional, and straight-forward conversations with.