Months ago I wrote http://blogs.starwars.com/jedilily1026/46. Since then I have left my oldest daughter's house and stayed a week in a motel and now live in the "Poodoo-hole" Inn, at least that's what I call it. You will never find a more wretched hive etc., etc., etc.

When I was a child I lived a priviledged life. I was raised in a loving foster family until I was 11. I was called "princess" because I was the only girl living with them and I had at my disposal everything a child would need and want in the 1950's. That's material stuff. I also had all the love, stability, warmth, tenderness and understanding that a child could desire.
Anakin, although not priviledged, was raised in a loving home with all the love his mother could give him.

My "royal highness-ness" ended when I was 11 under circumstances beyond my control and Anakin's loving home life also ended when Qui-gon found him on Tatooine, although a little younger than I when he left home.

Now I find myself living at this Inn and believe me it's not a "home". Neither was the Jedi Temple for Anakin.

This Inn is the coldest non-familiar place I have ever lived in just as Anakin must have thought when he first started living at the Jedi Temple. Just a room with a bed, a table, a TV, a lamp and bath facilities. I assume the Jedi Temple was much the same, no TV tho. The bare necesities which is good and it's not good to hold on to material items when not much is really needed to live but...

Where is the warmth, tenderness, stability, even love? Yes, even if you live alone when you walk in the door of your home you are surrounded by love. When you live in your "home" life is different, even if you don't have all the modern commodities. You're home is your base, your warmth, your stability. I came from a loving home and I miss having a home. Anakin did miss his Mom and must have also missed his home life. A life he never found again after he left his home on Tatooine. My situation will soon be remedied, but Anakins never was..

When the Jedi Council said little Anakin was too old to be trained as a Jedi they had the right thinking. I guess being raised a Jedi is much easier when a child starts learning and living at the Temple at an early age. Not too much mothering, warmth, love and understanding to be found there. You can't miss what you never had. Anakin had a very hard time with his commitment to the Jedi Way of life. The Jedi life is a hard one.

Anakin wasn't raised a Jedi, neither was I.

MTFBWU ALL