Characters - Alison's mum
Unlike Amy's protective mother in Away in a Manger or Clare's affectionate father in All That Glisters, Alison's mum is distant towards her when Alison kisses her and she refuses to tuck her in at night.
doesnae kiss me back
The story implies that her lack of affection is not limited to Alison, however. Alison's mum jerks her heid away
when Alison tries to play with her hair, but Alison comments that she also does this when ma daddy tries tae touch it
. Similarly, she is not pictured kissing or hugging Katie. This suggests that she may be uncomfortable with expressing her affection, just as Alison is uncomfortable with expressing her inner feelings.
She is shown to put more effort in with her younger daughter. Instead of tucking Alison in as she does with Katie, their mum tells Alison that you're a big girl
. She implies that her older daughter does not need the same attention that her youngest daughter is given.
are you no asleep yet?
She is sometimes shown to be impatient, telling Alison to hurry up and finish that letter
. Alison waits until she is in a good mood
before playing with her hair, suggesting that her mum is sometimes unable to disguise her bad moods in front of her daughter.