MovieChat Forums > Lady and the Tramp (1955) Discussion > Jim Dear and Darling nice people, but ...

Jim Dear and Darling nice people, but bad parents?

posted 15 years ago by bowmanblue
22 replies | jump to latest

I don’t seem to recall there ever being a reason given as to why they must pack their bags and leave their practically newborn baby for a while. I just think it’s pretty poor parenting. I don’t think we’re ever told what Jim Dear or Darling do for a living, but I’m pretty sure if it was a business trip, whoever they were meeting would understand that Darling is a new mother and therefore should stay at home with her son.

Rather than call in some crazy, dog-hating old bag who comes complete with two psychotic cats.

I really hope Jim Dear and Darling didn’t bring Aunt Sarah back anything more than a small box of Quality Street to say thanks.

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[–] CanadianCanine 15 years ago

For all we know it could have been a family emergency.

[–] bowmanblue 15 years ago

True, but Darling appeared to be in two minds about going. It was Jim Dear who seemed to be the one who wanted her to go as well.

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[–] CanadianCanine 15 years ago

Perhaps, but it may have been an emergency on Jim Dear's side of the family and he wanted Darling to come along with him. In that case I agree that Darling could have very well stayed home with the baby. However I don't think it means they are bad parents to leave their child with a baby sitter. While I suppose it's ill-advised at such a young age there could be many things that would require them both to leave and perhaps it would have been too hectic to travel with a newborn. They were only gone for a short amount of time, it would hardly affect the baby.

[–] hillbrian2005 14 years ago

Did they go on a train or boat?

[–] richie_patrese 14 years ago

Well, that's 55 years for you. At the time, in fact up to 10-20 years ago, people wouldn't have thought too much of a young baby being left with a family member for a few days, but now...perish the thought!

[–] A_Llama_Drama 10 years ago

exactly, parents used to leave kids behind all the time when I was growing up in the 90s. it was, at first, scary being left with an uncle or family friend I barely knew but you get used to it. Nowadays it's bad practise to just feed your kids what's available (what's the new practise called again? Baby led weaning?) but you've got to give them a choice and see what they prefer... honestly... And to have a babysitter or someone else look after your children for more than 4 hours? You must be a terrible parent. You must have post natal depression. You must have psychotic tendencies
Bah.

My teenage angst has a body count

[–] chefz2 14 years ago

Aunt Sarah wasn't the brightest bulb, but she obviously had taken care of the baby before and was capable of handling a few days on her own (I get the impression that she might have reared Jim Dear closely, since she was supposively the only family member he called)

I'm a little more concerned that they didn't put a diaper on their baby (just pajamas!)

If I were any more fun I'd be boobies and bubble-wrap.

[–] bookwormdreamer 14 years ago

I use to have the record of Lady and The Tramp.Lady narrates the story.The reason given is a business trip.I don't know why Darling had to go you would think Aunt Sarah would have been there to help out Darling while Jim was away.

The thing is everything gets out of hand because both are away Jim and Darling knew Lady and would "listen" to her.That sets up for a dramatic finish when Jim Dear and Darling return and they help Lady and the Tramp and put Aunt Sarah in her place.

[–] ExplorerDS6789 14 years ago

"I'm a little more concerned that they didn't put a diaper on their baby (just pajamas!)"

They go on underneath the pajamas. After all, you never see a person wearing underwear outside of their pants, do you?

[–] bjs852 13 years ago

Just Superman.....LOL!!!!!

[–] ltldog2 12 years ago

I think in the end there's a part where Scamp is pulling on the bum of his pajamas and you see skin underneath.

Taking back IMDB message boards....one ignored Troll at a time.

[–] Costumer (1834) 4 years ago

Old post, but, where do you get the idea she had taken care of the baby before? In fact, it is made pretty clear she had never seen the baby before. She rushes Jim Dear and Darling out of the house so she could see the little darling. She had no idea who Lady was, who was there there before the baby was. If she had taken care of the baby before she would have known that Lady was involved with taking care of the baby.

That's no a criticism of the Darlings choosing Aunt Sarah as a baby sitter; they just didn't realize she apparently feared/ disliked/or didn't trust dogs.

[–] Zadre 13 years ago

Since the baby was born in April and they went on the trip around fall the baby must have been around 6 months old. I'd say it's perfectly fine to go on a trip just the two of them for a few days. Some people nowadays seem to think the parents (or atleast the mother) should be practically attached to the baby for a year or so and labels her a bad mother if she hires a babysitter to go out with her friends for a few hours one night when the baby is 5 month ("A mother should aaaalways want to be with her baby 24/7 and if she wants to leave the baby for a minute it's something seriously wrong with her and the baby should be taken away from her!" Ridiculous...).
It's not like Jim and Darling is leaving the baby compleatly alone. They've got a babysitter.

[–] elizabeth_author 13 years ago

I don't think that there's anything wrong with leaving a baby with a trusted family member for a few days while you take a business trip or a holiday, not so long as you're sure they'll be well looked after and that the baby will be happy enough with this other person. If the baby's used to being babysat (and Aunt Sarah's statement that she knew her way around suggests she's done it before) then it shouldn't be a problem.

[–] klarson123 10 years ago

I agree it was probably early fall or mid to late summer when they took the trip; as the scene opens when they're packing their luggage the baby clothes on the clothesline indicate that the little one has grown somewhat.

[–] nabo7 12 years ago

Perhaps Aunt Sarah had been a babysitter for other extended family members who did not have dogs, and Jim simply did not know of her dislike for dogs, or how mischievous her cats could be.

[–] ltldog2 12 years ago

That's interesting, because I have a red Disney Storyland book and in the version of L&tT in that book, Darling stays behind with Aunt Sarah. Sounds like Disney might have gotten a little flack for that and rewrote it later on (but obviously they couldn't change the original film.)

Having had 2 kids, I think it would be all right to leave a newborn with a family member for a few days. Not the day you get home from the hospital, but after a month it would be all right. The kid would forgive you. ;-)

Taking back IMDB message boards....one ignored Troll at a time.

[–] Ursulo911 10 years ago

Well I know this is a very old post but I don't think they were bad parents because they did have aunt Sarah to look after their baby whilst they were gone so their not careless, selfish bad parents. They care about their baby and they did have a babysitter to take care of the baby so their pretty good parents in my opinion.

[–] geearf 10 years ago

They were simply taking a vacation, and in this case, the vacation is also from their child (and pet).
If the Aunt was any good, I wouldn't see anything wrong about it.
In some parts of Asia it is actually common for grandparents to raise kids while their parents work (and enjoy I guess), since the old folks don't work anymore and have nothing else to do than care for their new little ones :)

[–] parvati_patil_mm24 10 years ago

I, too, found it quite unrealistic that they left their newborn baby back, but well, they had to leave so the whole story with Lady would take place... :P

[–] Durbelethwen 9 years ago

I always thought that Jim junior is about 4 months old by that time of the movie. You can tell that the baby is older because in the previous scene he was in a cradle in Jim Dear and Darling's room and now he is in a crib in his own room. Also, at the Christmas scene at the end the puppies are about 2 months old, and the average dog's pregnancy is about 2 months which would have the trip set in August.

Jim Dear and Darling  nice people, but bad parents?

Jim Dear and Darling nice people, but bad parents?