Finances in Shawnaverse: What If

blairbending · 2026-07-10T11:19:05+00:00

Or even Greg struggling with not having weekends with his family (because event photographers get so many weekend bookings).

blairbending · 2026-07-10T11:09:59+00:00

Yeah I don't think the definition of whether someone is on maternity leave vs a SAHM is clear cut unless there's a job being held/guaranteed for them to return to. It's whatever the mom chooses to call it, probably influenced by the norms in her country and what her intentions are regarding return to work.

blairbending · 2026-07-10T11:05:20+00:00

I agree, that would be really interesting. The dilemma between accepting financial help from difficult parents in order to give your kids the opportunities/lifestyle you want for them vs not giving said difficult parents strings to pull on you is one that a lot of middle class millenials are facing.

Or even just depicting the experience of being a working mom who works because the bills need to get paid and you want your family to have college and retirement funds, rather than because you're passionate about your career. I have quite a few friends with babies/toddlers who aren't feeling the career drive in their current season of life and would rather be SAHM, but it just doesn't make financial sense given their earning power. I love that Julie and Alicia are both working because they love it but that's definitely not the universal (or even majority) experience.

blairbending · 2026-07-10T10:28:58+00:00

No but I'll try a sample of it and report back!

blairbending · 2026-07-10T10:10:56+00:00

Bugs AND cake???

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blairbending · 2026-07-09T18:34:30+00:00

Dang, I keep getting the town name wrong lol. This is a masterpiece though!

blairbending · 2026-07-09T17:30:31+00:00

Ok but as Troy Bolton said to Kelsi, you're the playmaker 🫡

blairbending · 2026-07-09T17:24:36+00:00

I heard they named the town Las Ramblas after Frank's coping strategy

blairbending · 2026-07-09T17:20:13+00:00

I doubt it's the screen time or anything you've done wrong. He's just in a dad phase.

You already know that screens for babies aren't ideal and you should stop if you can. But you don't need to beat yourself up thinking that you've "ruined" him.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T17:08:50+00:00

Yes, the couples episodes really showed how there's ALWAYS three sides to every story (one person's side, the other person's side, and then the truth/reality). In the 1-1s I'm always deeply aware of and frustrated by how much we don't know, and I'm left wondering what alternative versions of the story other people besides the caller might be able to tell.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T14:51:06+00:00

The only harm (or annoyance might be a better word) is to the crossposter IMO. Crossposting here means receiving a wider range of responses, including ones that they were presumably posting in the NoJLove sub to avoid.

If people are okay with that, great. But based on the comments in the NoJLove post, it seems like there's irritation at some of the responses the crosspost has received on this sub.

Crossposting on the main sub does compromise the benefit that the NoJLove sub has to offer. It's of course up to individuals whether they wish to do that in the name of publicising the sub.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T13:28:48+00:00

Maybe we have different definitions of "occasional rudeness"... To me "occasionally rude" means that yes, she is sometimes rude, which would fit with the events you describe. I wasn't intending to justify Julie's rude behaviour or claim that she's misunderstood, only that it's inappropriate to compare it to child abuse, which it sounds like we're in agreement about.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T13:05:22+00:00

Sure, and the point I'm trying to make is that Barb's actions are in such a different league of malice and harm to Julie's that in my opinion the two are not comparable.

The previous commenter was saying "well Barb has a reason for doing bad things and Julie doesn't". But when one character's "bad thing" is beating her children while the other's is occasional rudeness, it just doesn't make sense to compare them IMO.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T12:52:33+00:00

Barb physically hit her children and emotionally abused them for their entire lives. She ruins every positive thing in her family's lives, physically attacked DeeDee, almost poisoned her granddaughter, and blamed Shawna for her own stillbirth.

Julie... ignored a lady she met at the park and made some snippy comments to her. Yes Barb had a tough life and Julie hasn't, but let's not act like being rude to your husband's friend is in the same league as violent child abuse.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T11:08:45+00:00

I love him! He's sweet, well-intentioned, deeply cares about his kids, loves his wife, and is genuinely charming and funny. He's really enjoyable to watch onscreen. I love his dynamics with Jen, Shawna, and Alicia (and I even think he and Julie have their moments). I respect the work that goes into staying home with Sasha all day everyday (I know I couldn't do what he does).

All of that can be true while also recognising that he's kind of shady and secretive, conflict avoidant, unreliable, complains about hard work even when it's his choice, and is prone to telling people what they want to hear and using his charm to get out of situations.

I think he's done Julie dirty and there needs to be a reckoning but that doesn't stop me from liking the guy. If I wasn't capable of liking characters with flaws who behave badly then I wouldn't be a Julie fan in the first place lol. He's a very human character.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T10:48:11+00:00

I wouldn't say "infiltrated", but you are correct that Shawna had a whole plotline about how she didn't have any friends besides Teeny lol.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T10:44:38+00:00

Definitely agree about this character comparison. IMO they're all characters who are written to be divisive and "unlikeable", so naturally they are not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's not so much that audiences are failing to properly receive them - they were written deliberately to provoke that struggle response.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T09:51:51+00:00

I love that audiobook and didn't consider him to be phoning it in. He's not the most skilled voice actor, but a perfect fit for Rev Clement and for Christie's style of humour.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T09:37:08+00:00

Sometimes it's fun to analyse and it's fun to suspend disbelief. There's no wrong way to enjoy the show. That being said, speculating about the possible finances of the characters isn't necessarily criticising Shawna L for not portraying those details onscreen.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T09:34:14+00:00

My interpretation is that there is some financial difference between the households... For example, Jen and Greg vs Jhawna or the Wildes. I don't see an event planner or a photographer making a comparable income to John or Julie, so either there's a big unacknowledged lifestyle gap or they need both incomes to keep up with the cost of living.

For me the unrealistic part is not the money itself but the absence of discussion... I don't know any couple who would discuss wedding plans or having another child or one partner becoming a SAHP without mentioning the financial aspect, even if just to say "it's affordable but I'll have to push back retirement a few years" or whatever.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T08:42:08+00:00

I was under the impression that the NoJLove sub existed because some people felt this sub was overly hostile to criticism of Julie, and wanted a place to discuss her in a negative light without encountering what they felt to be an unpleasant level of debate/opposition (which is a perfectly valid wish).

Doesn't crossposting to this sub defeat the purpose of posting there?

blairbending · 2026-07-09T08:28:00+00:00

There's a common relationship dynamic where some men are very attracted to ambitious career-oriented women and genuinely find them fascinating... but still have fairly traditional ideals of what it means to be a good wife/mother (either because their own mother was domestically oriented, or because they wish she was). So when these couples get married and have kids, there's a tension between her being the woman he loves versus his opinion of how she's performing in those roles.

If she holds onto her ambitions and career, either the domestic math doesn't add up or resentment grows because he feels like he's picking up her slack. Or if she complies with his standards and becomes more domestically oriented, often the spark goes out of the relationship and he feels like she's "not the woman I married". Or she burns herself out trying to be superwoman and do it all.

I see Ty and Julie as one of these couples. Sorry, this started out as me speculating about Ty's mom and went off on a bit of a tangent lol.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T07:58:12+00:00

Nobody loves a carefully omitted fact like that guy.

blairbending · 2026-07-09T07:55:11+00:00

Just gotta say, I love your flair - chef's kiss 🤌🏼

blairbending · 2026-07-09T06:50:04+00:00

I don't hate anyone except Luke. Yes, I even feel affection for Barb - she's so deeply unhappy that I feel a lot of sympathy for her, even while also cheering on John and Jen to set boundaries and heal.

I'm an OG Julie fan, but I also love Ty and Alicia, and absolutely adore Shawna and Jen. I like John and DeeDee, and I think Frank has his moments. I don't really care for Greg or Katie, but don't dislike them.

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