There have been many tough times in The Tribe and people like Trudy and Amber have found that they have the added responsibility of caring for their children whilst trying just to get by in an uncertain and terrifying world.
There are many teenage pregnancies all around the world and people all cope differently with their situation. Experiences and circumstance can play a big part in whether or not a person decides that they are able to be a mother and even then some people find that they are not ready or equipped to look after another human being.
There are different styles of parenting and this is quite evident in tribeworld.
TRUDY
Trudy was very young when she became pregnant and soon after her baby was born puerperal fever and postnatal depression set in. Trudy was not in the right frame of mind to take on such a huge responsibility and after all that she had gone through with losing her family and loved ones to the Virus and the following break-up of her relationship with Martin she found herself lost and alone. She was lucky enough to be looked after by Bray and his support undoubtedly got her through a very rough time.
With the love and care she received from (most of) the Mall Rats she was soon able to focus on her child and through time she bonded with Brady and realized that all that was important to her was Brady’s health and happiness.
Trudy still went through some rough times with the death of Zoot and her unrequited love for Bray; her brush with power as the Supreme Mother and her friend Amber’s disappearance (believed to be dead) as well as the many tragedies that have befallen the Mall Rats along the way.
It is plain to see now that Trudy is a very hands-on mother and has developed a warrior-like attitude to anyone that could be hurtful to Brady. Trudy spends a lot of time with her daughter and is keen to find a guy who will give Brady some additional love and stability in the form of a father. Trudy herself is desperate to feel that someone cares for her and she needs to be able to share the responsibility of parenting with someone else as Brady grows and develops into a little girl.
Trudy and Brady have a very real bond and are incredibly close although Brady is also used to spending time with her ‘aunties’, particularly Salene and Ellie. Trudy feels lucky that she is able to leave Brady with people that she can trust, as sometimes she needs to get out and fight for the freedom of all the inhabitants of tribeworld. She takes her responsibility of being a mother very seriously indeed and part if this is to make sure that the city is safe for Brady to grow up in.
The return of Zoot has affected Trudy in more ways than one and this in turn has affected her style of mothering. She has always been on the lookout for potential danger as Brady is the daughter of Zoot (formally Martin) and there is always the chance that Brady could be snatched at any time by any number of crazies in the city who are desperate to take control and might see Brady as being their key to power.
It is at this time in tribeworld that Trudy is once more on red alert so far as her daughters’ safety goes as the Zootist forces grow in strength and determination. Trudy tries hard to allow Brady to lead as normal a life as she can but given the circumstances Trudy has become more clingy and paranoid about Brady’s whereabouts and safety.
It is a tribute to Trudy that Brady is coming along quite nicely and seems to be a well-rounded and settled young thing. Only time will tell if Brady develops any hang-ups in the future, as it will be hard for her to accept that her father was Zoot and feared by all in tribeworld.
AMBER
True love was what Amber had with Bray and both of them were delighted when they discovered that they were to become parents. Amber had a rough time when it came to giving birth and the shock of Bray’s disappearance caused her to have the odd irrational moment. She relied on Trudy to pull her through and now Amber is a strong and responsible parent.
She finds it really hard to be a single mum and the death of Bray is still very much in her mind. But she has learnt that baby Bray is a part if her lost love and that Bray himself would want her to carry on and bring up their son in a safe and loving environment.
Amber is the type of mother who has had to let her friends do a lot of the actual hands-on caring for baby Bray as she has to spend a lot of time making sure that the city is looked after.
Like Trudy, Amber has to get involved in fighting and she hates to do this as it could mean at any time that baby Bray is left an orphan. She has little choice however as she is the type of person who believes that freedom and equality are worth fighting for and she does not want to live or bring her son up in a world where there is no stability.
Amber must worry about the safety of her son, particularly when she has to leave him for a few days bit she knows that he is well cared for and she can trust Trudy to look after him.
Amber has softened somewhat through being a parent and she has found her maternal side to be much stronger than she thought it was. She gets so much joy from looking into her son’s eyes and watching him develop. She tries whenever she can to make some space in her life so that she can spend some quality time with her son.
She is absolutely determined to ensure that the city is a safe one for him to grow up in and much as she misses Bray she also needs another man in her life. She wants to give baby Bray a family structure and wants him to have a father figure.
Someone like Bray to teach her son tenderness as well as high morals and the ability to stand up for what he believes in. We hope that she finds the right man – whoever takes the place of Bray in Amber’s heart will surely a lot to live up to.