I Stand Here Ironing

In the story, I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen, the Great Depression era is explained very well through the eyes of one woman. This woman is describing her daughter and how events in her life have shaped her personality. The daughter, Emily is the oldest of five children and the mother feels that Emily was raised differently than the younger children. She describes many things that happened to Emily that she feels shaped who her daughter is.
Near the beginning of the story, the young mom had to bring Emily to live with another family. This type of situation could happen today, there would be more regulations surrounding the arrangement (legal rights, custody, etc.), but it does happen in the form of children going to foster homes, group homes, or to live with relatives. I believe it would be very hard for a parent to send off a child to live with another family, but I think parents who realize that it's what's best for the child and do the right thing can get through the situation without too much guilt. She also says that it takes her some time to save the money to get her daughter back, which I also think is realistic today.
When Emily returns home, she is put in nursery school. The mother describes Emily not wanting to go, the teachers humiliating and making fun of children, and calls the school a "Parking place for children". I see this comparison better fit to daycare, although I'm sure there are preschools where these types of things happen. Emily's mom also describes the pleas of other children to not go, and Emily's excuses to not go (I don't feel well, the teachers aren't there today, you don't look well) which I can remember trying to use on my parents all through school.
Emily was sent away a second time, after the apartment had been broken into and Emily was home alone when it'd happened. While Emily was away the second time, parents were only allowed to visit once a week, and then only to shout up from the ground to their children on balconies. Emily lost weight while she was away, this was the eventual reason she was allowed to come home. This scenerio I don't believe could happen today. No doubt there are similar institutions, but as for the treatment of the children and families, it wouldn't happen.
There are other situations in the story that are increasingly realistic. Emily develops a crush on a boy and tries to win him over but he goes for another girl. Following that, she feels she isn't as smart as other students and is labelled a "slow learner". Her mother allows her to skip school even though she knows Emily's not sick. All of these are things most people experience in school.
Although I Stand Here Ironing is a fictional story based on life more than 60 years ago, many of the struggles and hardships of the story could be relevant in our society today.