This has probably been said before, but i was thinking about your groupchat post where Dadlisle complains about Edward "Mansplaining" Cullen telling him how to take care of your human™.
While it does make sense to tell Alice since she doesnt remember being human (although shouldnt she be able to see how certain things would affect Bella, like not giving her water will dry her out like a sponge etc) it makes zero sense considering that Bella isnt a baby. She's 17 years old, she's not comatose and youd think she would tell them if she were hungry or cold or whatever. Even if she were a toddler she would let you know (even as a baby but it's harder to tell if she's hungry or just bored so lets ignore that) but in that case it would probably be a good idea to tell Alice that even if Toddella wants cake thats not good food.
But as i said, she's 17! She will sleep when she's tired, she doesnt need a bedtime. She doesnt need someone to say "hey, it's 12 PM! Time for your veggies!" or put her in a coat bc "it's freezing outside, you can't go out in a tshirt".
However, it is very much in character for Eddie boy to completely disregard the fact that she can think for herself and micromanage her entire life no matter if she even wants that.
You’re absolutely right and you should say it!!! This is legitimately (one of) the most frustrating thing(s) about Midnight Sun and Edward’s narration — the way he sees Bella as so utterly helpless in every single capacity is so patronising and I truly hate it sjoxksjdooddk idk if this makes sense but sometimes when I read parts of the series I can’t believe that the women were...written by a woman??????? Smeyer writes women how many male writers write women imo (see: the description of Siobhán) and it’s difficult to read.
That patronising/mansplaining aspect also extends to the Cullens as a whole though as opposed to just Edward, considering nobody ever really tells him to shut tf up or that Bella is perfectly capable of meeting her own basic survival needs and making her own decisions? The repeated overlooking/dismissal of what Bella wants or chooses is really irritating to watch — particularly in Eclipse, when they physically stop her from seeing Jacob and/or going where she wants to go. Controlling someone like that while justifying it as a safety concern or being “for your own good” is very 🥴🥴🥴 especially if it’s coming from an SO when you’re a competent legal adult and not a parent when you’re a dependent/innocent child
