General Hospital is mourning Dr. Monica Quartermaine, as portrayed by the late, great Leslie Charleson. Leading the bereaved is her son, Jason, the child with whom Monica had the most tortured relationship.
I have been watching Jason and Monica since he was born on air in 1981 (not Monica’s biological child, but the son of Monica’s husband, Alan, and his mistress, Susan). I was there when an accident destroyed his memory and turned him into Jason Morgan in 1995, and I’ve been watching him and Monica navigate their complicated relationship for the 30 years since. For a long time, it was just an entertaining soap opera story. And then it hit particularly close to home.
Key Takeaways
- Monica lost Jason to Sonny and the mob.
- Monica allowed Jason to set his own relationship parameters.
- Jason came back to his family on his own — and boy, is he sorry for how he treated his mom now!
From Sweaters to SWAT Teams
When Jason (Steve Burton) was first born, Monica wanted nothing to do with Alan’s (Stuart Damon) bastard. But then Susan (Gail Rae Carlson) was murdered, and Monica allowed Jason into her home… and into her heart. Let’s be honest, she loved her sweet, obedient, medical school-aspiring golden boy, Jason, more than she loved her difficult, self-destructive, biological son, AJ (Billy Warlock).
But then, one night, a drunk AJ wrecked the car he and his brother were riding in, leaving Jason with complete amnesia. Sonny (Maurice Benard) swooped in and gave Jason a home away from his evil family members, who just wanted Jason to go back to wearing Christmas sweaters and following in the path they’d laid out for him.
Sonny allowed Jason to swap out his stuffy sweaters for tight, black T-shirts, and his stethoscope for a gun he could use to shoot bad mobsters in the service of his new best friend, the world’s first morally righteous mobster. When his family raised objections to their son being a stone-cold killer, Sonny explained that they were bad people and Jason should cut them out of his life. And so Jason did.
The Real World
My relationship with my second son wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Monica and Jason’s. He is my biological child. He was, thankfully, never in a critical car accident. And he did not attach himself to a mobster, saintly or otherwise. He has not — as far as I know — iced anybody.
So what did my younger son do that prompted me to turn to Monica for parenting advice? My son decided to drop out of high school. (Not exactly turning to a life of crime. But it definitely could be a step in that direction.) My son dropped out of high school and he made it clear to my husband and I that he did not care to hear my husband’s or my opinion on the subject. In fact, he did not care to hear our opinion on any subject regarding his future — or his present. He went into his room and he closed the door. (He did come out regularly for meals, though. Teenage boys eat… a lot.)
And a TV Show Shall Lead Them
I could have pushed him. Every instinct I had told me to push him. It told me to issue ultimatums, throw around life-altering threats, and demand that he engage with me. But Monica Quartermaine taught me not to do that. She taught me to give my kid space. To let him set the parameters of our relationship, and, most importantly, to let him come to me on his own time and of his own volition.
So that’s what I did. And, like Jason, my son eventually came around. At Monica’s funeral last month, Jason remembered how his mom let him be who he was, offering support, not judgment. And he agonized over how badly he’d treated her while she was alive. I truly don’t care what my son says at my memorial service. I don’t care about things like that. I care about how he treats me while I’m alive. Currently, our relationship is good. Thanks, in part, to Monica Quartermaine.
For those who want the gory details of everything he put me through, click here.
