Family LIfe Stories

              Tom knew how to use reason, cleverness and the leverage of his parents’ love for him. He used tactics that were not, strictly speaking, fair and square. He knew that. But he desperately needed a change so he resorted to dramatics. He was good at dramatics.

               “My life is over!” he had said. Then he flung himself onto the rug by the hearth. “I have about as much purpose as a well gone dry!” He had covered his face with his forearm, but he raised it a bit so he could see his mother’s face. He hoped there might be a tear in her eye, seeing her only child in such a state. Instead he saw her give him a sideways glance. The corner of her mouth was twisted and one eyebrow twitched upward.

                 Tom climbed up the polished wooden leg of the chair by wrapping his hands around it and pushing up with his feet over and over. As soon as he could, he swung himself over to his father’s trouser leg and continued upward. He used the buttons of his father’s linen shirt to make the final ascent and rested at last near the shirt collar. He tugged his father’s whiskers gently and affectionately. It was the way he always signaled to his father that what he wanted to say was important. Will dipped his chin to show he was listening.

         “I need to get out into the world, Pa. I love our home and everything in it. I love you and Mother so much I might burst from the loving. But even though I am small, I have big ideas. And even though I love you, I need to make some friends. If I stay here forever I will dry up, Pa. I will dry up like a black-eyed pea in a shell.”

              This scene is from the story I am working on.  It illustrates the complex love between parent and child. In this story, Tom is a tiny boy, no bigger than a thumb.  His parents were childless for a long time, and then magically they were given a son of their own.  But Tom is feeling restless, as many children do. He loves his parents and his home, but they are not enough.  He needs companions and experiences beyond his own home and family. The parents are worried about his safety.  They want to keep him close to try and protect him.


            There are a lot of old stories about parents who want to protect their children.  You may recall the story of The Little Red Hen .  The hen plants a seed, grows some wheat, grinds it into flour and then bakes bread.  Each time she asks the other farm animals for help, she gets the same answer - "Not I!"  But she does what she has to do to take care of her little ones.  The Little Red Hen is like most parents.  They struggle, but somehow they find strength and patience to keep going.

           Children often don't recognize protectiveness as a demonstration of love.  But parents often fail to understand their children's expressions of love.  In the old folktale Cap-o-Rushes a father asks his daughters how much they love him.  Their answers baffle him and cause a rift that nearly destroys the family.  

            I hope you enjoy reading these stories about parental love with all of the joys and sorrows.  And maybe reading stories about family drama will help you smooth over some of the rough patches in your family.