Tuesday 8 December 2015

The sadness of Simon Barlow

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

I've just had a quick trawl through that underbelly of the internet that calls itself Twitter and my word, there's a lot of hatred out there for Simon Barlow.  As we have seen, last night on Coronation Street Leanne raised her hand to strike Simon as she was at her wits end and didn't know how to cope.  Simon doesn't deserve to be hit, that's for sure and I'm aghast at the comments online that say he does.

Simon is a hurt little boy, trying his best (and failing) to cope with a life that has been foisted on him. Leanne's a rubbish mum, and she knows it. Peter's a rubbish dad, and we know that too. Then, Leanne sent Simon to live with Ken, but Simon turned his anger towards Amy.

So, what's to be done with this troubled little boy?  A bit of understanding wouldn't go amiss.  I have no idea what I would do in this situation if I were Leanne and my kid was hitting me. But it only takes a couple of seconds to Google and find that there are loads of charities offering advice on this very subject.   Leanne's not daft, so why hasn't she reached out for help from her GP as a starter, who would know how to put Leanne in contact with professionals who can help both her and Simon.

As well as being passed from pillar to post between Leanne and Peter, Simon's still trying to cope with the loss of grandma Deirdre and of the men in his life who have tried to be father figures - Kal, Nick. And of course, he'll still be missing his real mum Lucy the florist who died.  This was when a reluctant Peter had to take on the role of dad to Simon, a role that Peter fought against for months and only settled into with the help of Ken, Deirdre and Blanche.  Simon was so timid when he first came to live with the Barlows that Blanche called him 'Shymon'.


Simon has been bullied in the past and ended up drunk after he took one of Peter's bottles.  Simon has ISSUES for heaven's sake.

He does not need hitting. He is a hurt and scared little boy who needs help, and fast.  As does Leanne.




Kudos to Alex Bain who is doing a wonderful job as Simon.




Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

4 comments:

Daithi_c said...

As I've said many times before:
They BOTH need counselling.

kib said...

I believe that kids that are enrolled in sport or other extra-curricular activities cope better with their emotions. How about the air cadets or some community service at the community centre. They could do with a permanent role as a psychotherapist...just sayin'.

Sheila said...

I too have been shocked by the people who seem to think he just needs a good smack. Oh yes, that would really be effective with a hurt, confused, angry kid who has plenty to be angry about. He doesn't know what to do with his feelings so he lashes out at the one closest to him. He needs considerable help to sort through everything and learn to deal with his feelings - not a smack!

Tvor said...

Have been saying for years Simon needs counselling.

Yes, kib, getting involved in sports or other activities really does help with kids, keeps them focussed and uses up extra energy.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...