Are you listening? Because I'm here to set things straight once and for all. I was never a bad mother. I was never a bitter wife, jealous of my husband's love for another woman. I was perfectly ordinary, really, so I don't know why so many of you make me out to be some kind of harpy.
Sure, I wasn't my husband's first love. But why should that even matter? He was over her. He did have a soft spot left for her, but you know the kind of person he is. He had a corner of his heart reserved for every person who touched his life, in whatever way it was. And he was not so much concerned about her as he was about her daughters. He fell in love with me some time after she married that coal miner and we were very happy together. I don't know what made you think it was just a marriage of convenience. I'm sure there are plenty of other happy couples who weren't each other first lives. I myself used to be in unrequited love with Haymitch Abernathy but I got over him.
We had three sons. And we didn't get a daughter like we wished for, but that didn't make us love our sons any less. I don't know what makes you think I treated them badly for not being girls. If at all I wanted to blame someone I would have blamed my husband, as it was his chromosome that was responsible. But no, there was nothing to blame anyone for. I definitely did not ill-treat my youngest son.
Many of you think Peeta suffered a lot at my hands. I think you got that idea after I hit Peeta for burning the bread and I told him there would finally be a winner from District 12, referring to Katniss. But you're dealing with incomplete information. All of us led rough lives, and hitting children was a perfectly acceptable and common form of punishment. I was stricter than many mothers, but you can't ignore the fact that many fathers were stricter than my husband. Katniss just saw me at my worst when I screamed at her and hit Peeta. Of course I was affectionate with my son too. And if you want to know why I told Peeta that Katniss would win the Hunger Games, here it is, straight from the horse's mouth. I'm psychic. I knew Peeta and Katniss would both win, but as it all depended on Peeta being willing to sacrifice his life to save Katniss', I had to make Peeta feel like it would be worth it to give up his life for hers. So I tried to convince him that she would survive. Of course I'm just kidding. I'm a mother. I obviously could tell that my son was obviously in love with Katniss. I knew her survival meant more to him than his. So I just told him what I thought he wanted to here.
So please, stop making me out to be a jealous shrew whose husband and sons are scared to death of her. Thank you for listening, and...I smell something burning! WHERE'S THAT USELESS BOY?