The Strange Life of Timothy Green directed by Peter Hedges and debuted in 2012, opens with our main characters Cindy (played by Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (played by Joel Edgerton) be informed that the time has come for them to stop trying to have children, because they have reached the end of their fertility treatments. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Greens have been officially labeled infertile, this is defined as the inability to conceive children after years of unprotected intercourse, and psychology shows us that infertility often produces anxiety, depression and stress in relationships. Since the Greens reside in a small town of no more than a few thousand inhabitants, the pressure of starting a family always looms over them. This small town with traditional values believes that having children is a sign of a happy and successful marriage, considered vital to the well-being of the community as a whole. The couple is often expected to experience moments of pain and jealousy when they see their friends or members of their community effortlessly create a family when their dreams of having a child are all but dashed. A study conducted by Jaffe and Diamond (2011) states that a couple suffering from infertility may feel pain and jealousy when they see families with children. We see this jealousy in Cindy, who heavily projects her resentment onto her sister who appears to have the perfect home life, filled with three perfect children. Later in the day, the couple travels to their picturesque farm in Stanleyville, "the pencil capital of the world." In an attempt to cope with the news, they open a bottle of wine and fill a small box with notes describing their idea of the perfect baby. After burying the symbolic box, a strange and somewhat magical storm brings their perfect child back to life. The next morning the Greens wake up to ten-year-old Timothy (played by C.J. Adams) referring to Cindy and Jim as Mom and Dad. The only drawback is that the Greens' perfect son has leaves growing from his ankles, leaves that cannot be cut but fall naturally after Timothy has a significant or life-changing encounter with others. After a few scenes of trying to pass off Timothy as an adopted son, we are introduced to Jim's father, James. James is a very traditional brute who believes that his son and daughter-in-law should not raise a child but instead continue to try to have one of their own. According to Diana Baumrind's parenting styles, James is easily characterized as the authoritarian parenting type while Greens are characterized as the permissive parenting type. James Green (played by David Morse) is the authoritarian parent who believes that children should be kept on a short leash and also believes in enforcing rules that must be followed and obeyed without any questions. In addition to high expectations, this parenting style also involves “correct” behavior. In one scene, we see James playing dodge ball with the community children and Timothy. Since Timothy doesn't know how to play, he spends a few moments enjoying the sun. During this time, James has managed to get all the children except Timothy out of the game and waits a few moments before hitting Timothy with the red rubber ball directly in the face. As a result, Cindy rushes to help Timothy get in to make sure he's okay and Jim has to confront his father, which he doesn't do. Later in the film, when asked if they confronted Jim's father, the Greens respond with.
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