I’m going to posit a probably unpopular idea in hopes of maybe laying to rest the whole Barb raped Chris theory so we can stay on target. This isn’t in defense of her actions towards Chris over the years, I’m merely trying to be objective:
Barb and Chris had an emotionally incestuous relationship for years. That doesn’t mean sexual; it simply means lacking in normal boundaries. There was clear issues with physical and emotional boundaries, control, manipulation, and histrionics. When she threatened suicide over Chris leaving to go to ponycons, she likened it to him abandoning her. She was already damaged long before Chris came into the picture, and if his current admissions are anything to go off of, there’s a likelihood that she was sexually abused at a very young age. This would explain her later promiscuity, abuse of both children, shopping/hoarding/overeating tendencies and inappropriate closeness with Chris after Bob died (ie. Spooning). Barb wasn’t grooming Chris for sex, but she was grooming him to be
complicit in her own codependency. Her needs were based on having someone there, and controlling them to stay there because being alone was/is probably something she isn’t emotionally capable of.
Again, this doesn’t excuse her past actions towards her family, but I just want to state there’s a big difference between grooming your child to be a docile fawn that will never leave you, and grooming them in order to sexually take advantage of them.
(she was almost born in the 50s but shes a bit older than that lol)
