Quote 28
Despite all my theories and efforts, I miss – every day and every hour of the day – having a mother who understands me. That’s why with everything I do and write, I imagine the kid of mom I’d like to be with my children later on. The kind of mom who doesn’t take everything people say too seriously, but who does take me seriously. I find it difficult to describe what I mean, but the word "mom" says it all. (12/24/1943.4)
Anne feels very much a need for maternal caring, which her mother is not providing, and this realization causes Anne to want to eventually be the kind of mother that she herself longs to have.
Quote 29
Mother has said that she sees us more as friends than as daughters. That's all very nice, of course, except that a friend can't take the place of a mother. I need my mother to set a good example and be a person I can respect, but in most matters she's an example of what not to do. (1/5/1944.2)
Anne criticizes her mother’s style of parenting consistently in her diary; this is one constant. Though she may fluctuate in her opinions of others, and in her feelings, Anne’s mother is constantly laid bare in Anne’s criticism.
Quote 30
Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight. As for us, we’re quite fortunate. Luckier than millions of people. It’s quiet and safe here, and we’re using our money to buy food. We’re so selfish that we talk about "after the war" and look forward to new clothes and shoes when actually we should be saving every penny to help others when the war is over, to salvage whatever we can. (1/13/1943.3-4)
Being isolated from the war, the members of the Secret Annex have a difficult time understanding the scope of the damage and the effect the war is having on their country.