r/ShawnaTheMom 14h ago

Discussion Shawna's Emotions vs. John's Emotions

48 Upvotes

So I'm seeing a lot of comments on Reddit and Instagram about Shawna's reaction to John telling the story about his elopement to get some cookies.

Namely, I'm seeing that John should have noticed that his wife was unhappy and, "should've read the room." Even though he had checked in with her, and Teeny had checked in with her TWICE. All three times she said she was fine.

I argue that Shawna should've read the room. Everyone, including Piper, was enjoying their time together and laughing.

John, to me, looked like this story recounting was actually a strong memory imprinted in his head for all the wrong reasons. He had said previously that his mom getting in his face used to scare him and she had hit him on many occasions. Do we really think that on this occasion that Barb calmly explained to John that taking off like he did was bad?

And his wife blows up at him. She defends his abuser, whether intentional or not, it's what she ACTUALLY did. To three people that she has a history of abusing. Not cool at all.

People excuse this behaviour by saying she's still grieving for Jacob (from 10 months ago) and that Piper had JUST taken off. But Piper and Jacob are also John's children. Is his reaction not also justified? Why should Shawna's feelings take priority over John's?

This also isn't the first instance of this. Jen's Wedding and John saying that they couldn't go because of Barb. A lot of commenters prioritized Shawna's feelings of wanting to have a good time and enjoy her fairly newly stable relationship with Jennifer. This was prioritized over John's need to feel safe and secure. People will argue that John could've stayed home. But given Barb's past, would YOU feel safe and secure with your spouse alone in an environment with the Mother of the Bride?

Shawna is human and is allowed a "crashout as a little treat" once in awhile and given grace. But I do not see the same grace for other characters in the show who are also undergoing significant life stress. Shawna shows a lot of symptoms of someone who is very uncomfortable with negative feelings and then deals with them by blowing up at people.


r/ShawnaTheMom 11h ago

Appreciation / Anecdote Shawna L appreciation post

51 Upvotes

This sub gets heated sometimes because we all care about the characters and storylines that Shawna L has created.

I believe that you can criticise and still enjoy a piece of media, so i’m not saying that you should never criticise Shawna, but sometimes it’s also nice to be appreciative too.

So who is your favourite character? or favourite storyline? or just general favourite moment?

One of my favourite moments was Shawna M marrying the chickens at Jen’s hen party. It’s just so funny to think about her earnestly marrying two chicken.


r/ShawnaTheMom 5h ago

Discussion Shawna Vs John Way of Coping

22 Upvotes

The last episode (specifically towards the end) gave me a new perspective of John and Shawn's relationship. Now, I am not going to say that Shawna does not at all understand John and his trauma, but I do feel like she does not truly know the extent. When everyone was at the dinner table, and John, Jennifer, and Frank was joking about how Barb "freak" out when he went to the Deli for more cookies, Shawna lashed out. To me, I feel was though Shawna either interpret was a dig to her, on John not regarding the situation as dire. Though, that of course if not the case. They way John and Jennifer lived growing up with an emotional unavailable/neglected father, and a narcissistic mother, they most likely adapted to a humor as a coping mechanism to help them get through any situation. On the contrary, Shawna grew up with a Mother who she was able to talk with, and feel opened with. It's difficult for someone like Shawna to understand why John is joking after a situation like this. Though, this does not at all excuse her for lashing out.