What's telling and quite sickening is that RB proactively shared that video, thinking it showed what a good mom she was. IMO she was proud of herself there! If that's the good side, I fear for what sweet Bella endured in her short life.
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I think it's indicative that Rachelle wants to be a good mom but doesn't really know how to be one.
I'm pretty sure that earlier on (in the threads, not in the testimony) that Shannon, the other woman there, said that doing something for Bella's birthday was sort of her idea?
It seems to me that buying things for Bella, putting on a good show, was her idea of showing the world and showing herself and Bella what a good mom she was being. And putting photos of the good times on FB, showing people how nicely Bella's dressed, what a lovely meal was made for her, how we're snuggling on the sofa watching cartoons together....Yes, that was what was happening...when the camera took the snap. But what was happening when there was no camera to take a picture? Rachelle, on the stand, tries to make it sound like Bella had a fairytale existence with a perfect mother, but real life isn't like that even for the best-behaved children and what I think of as the best parents...there are always 'moments' for both the child and the parent. And these snapshots, and the testimony, don't really tell us about that side of life in the household.
But that controlling edge "Bella! Look! Looook!!" doesn't indicate good parenting skills to me. The part where Bella seems worried about possible consequences for the mess concerns me. And MM's brother, when talking about them all going out for dinner in a restaurant and Bella got upset when she knocked something over...it wasn't entirely clear but, was that because Bella was scared of being told off or punished for a childish accident?
Children of that age aren't well-coordinated and do fling out their arms and knock over drinks or other things on a table. So was Bella upset about losing her drink over the table, or was she fearful of punishment? Listening to the birthday video, and to RB's sister Tamara in that news interview, I worry it's the latter, not the former? I have a strong dislike of parents and caregivers not having much comprehension of the abilities and lack of abilities/coordination in young children and getting angry at the child for it.
