Hence, they are confined to this neighbourhood and, with the emphasis on order and control of these families' lives by the external agents, some of the parents seek a mechanical order and control when helping their children with homework, particularly reading. A common thread weaving through the discourses of invasion therefore suggests that the women may be trying to ensure that their children conform to strict school standards in order to deal with high levels of uncertainty in their lives. In this way, they may be able to control at least one aspect of their lives and help their children to aspire to a better life for themselves (Darville, 2004).

Discourses of Time

Throughout the discourses of the low–income participants, it is apparent that these parents live their lives in the present, strictly for today and were for the most part unable to make long term plans, let alone think about what tomorrow might bring. At times it seemed that they engaged in activities that would help them to forget about tomorrow and the meanness and sometimes meaninglessness of their lives.

Many of the women's discourses hinted at lives filled with despair, humiliation, deprivation and exploitation. Some of the women, like Andrea and Jill, continued to live with abusive partners for they lacked the skills or the resources to make it on their own so they endured the hardships of a restrictive lifestyle, always dreaming that things might improve. With limited educational and financial resources, these women did not have access to programs or training that would give them the skills to take charge of their lives and move on.

Discourses of time become part of the habitus for the parents as well as their children. Most of the parents in the study do not have the training or the skills to mentor their children towards setting goals and working towards them. Instead, they look for immediate and tangible rewards and do not understand delayed gratification. Thus, when the children enrol in school, their way of dealing with a concern is to address it immediately.