i never liked the prodigal son story. even as a kid, i did not think the supposed meaning of it was a good one.

i have to side with the other kids, on this one. i think it is extremely important for parents to treat their kids fairly - not to give one kid advantages that the others do not get.

it is one thing to give a kid in need or in trouble more time, etc.

but mary comes home, and just gets the garage apt ?

sorry, that is a no-go for me !!

and no matter how much annie proselytizes, i do not agree with her. i would proselytize right back at her. when a couple chooses to have children, they take on the responsibility of treating them fairly.

it is not like mary is gonna die if she does not get the garage apt. in other words, it is not a necessity, or necessary for her safety and well-being.

just because a parent can do something, does not mean that the parent should do said something.

i suspect that she will win out in the long-run, in that the rest of the kids will all admit that they were wrong, etc.

i respectfully disagree with this reasoning.

The stupidest part is when the other kids were banished to the tree house after they complained about Annie's favoritism towards Mary. What is that supposed to teach them besides their mother is insane? I identify 'Prodigal' as one of the shark-jumping moments of the series, along with Mary's whole 'downward spiral' storyline where she runs up a big debt buying ice cream and going to movies. That was just silly, like they couldn't show her getting into real trouble.