Which character do you sympathize with (laugh at?) most in "Charles"?

This is a personal question about the short story that you
must answer yourself based on your reaction to the story. For me, I laugh at the mother
the most. As a teacher, this mother is easily recognized as what we teachers call a
"Helicopter Parent" - a parent that "hovers" over her child, like a helicopter. Most
annoying. This is why when I first read this short story, I immediately suspected that
Charles and Laurie were one and the same and that the "helicopter mother" was in denial.
This is what makes the story so humorous. Sometimes parents are blind to the faults of
their children, and this mother is guilty of this. That is why it takes her until the
end of the story to figure out that Laurie is Charles and most of his behavior is her
fault!

For me, the mother (also the narrator) is the
character I laugh at and sympathize with the most as a teacher (as explained above) but
also as a mother. It took me until my kids were in middle school to figure out that my
wonderful, well-behaved son and daughter actually exaggerated things that happened at
school! What a shock! As a teacher, I always tell parents that I promise not to believe
everything I hear about them if they promise not to believe everything they hear about
me. So I can laugh and sympathize most with the mother.

How
about you?