The Parent Curse
Once, along time ago, lived a little girl who had been given a special assignment at school. The little girl was very proud of her assignment on Florida History. It was a big girl project just like they would get in high school. She sent off for all of the brochures like her teacher told her, she took many notes,and borrowed lots of books from the library. She only forgot one little detail.
To write the report. So the weekend before it was due, she wrote and she wrote. But it still wasn't right. The little girl did the only thing she could think of and went crying to her mother for help.
"Mommy, I got all my research done and I've written my draft but it has to be typed and put on the board and it's due tomorrow", the little girl wailed to her mother, at 10 pm at night. The mother loved her daughter, so she tsked at her and hugged her, and said,
"It will be all right. I'll help you." Mother sat at the typewriter (i said long ago,no there was no computer, now hush and listen) typing up the paper, correcting the daughters spelling and grammar mistakes, until the early hours of the morning.
At last they were finished and the little girl hung the finished report on her poster board.
"Good night, sweet heart. Let this be a lesson to you. Never put off the writing of the report until the last minute." The Mommy hugged her daughter and tucked her in bed.
"oh I learned my lesson." The little girl solemnly swore and she snuggled down to sleep. And she meant it.
Until her first Science report a few years later when she forgot again. "Mom!" the cry went out. Again the mother sat up most of the night with the daughter.
"Learn from this." the mother warned
"I will. I did." the little girl answered.
Until a few months later when her History report was due.
"Mom!" "Learn from this." "I did."
and so the cycle repeated its self for a long time.
Never once did the Mother complain or carp on the girl. She just helped and then said learn, and she would smile this secret little smile that the little girl could never really understand.
Years later the little girl was all grown up and had children of her own.
"Mommy!" the little child cried "I have a report due tomorrow and I have all the research but it isn't written! Can you help me?"
And the little girl's heart froze in her chest. She should have listened to her Mommy and learned. Because she now understood the secret smile and that her Mothers curse for her had come back quadruple fold. How many nights would she lose sleep helping her children to learn a lesson she never did?
sorry Mommy, but can we talk truce here? I learned my lesson I really did!
To write the report. So the weekend before it was due, she wrote and she wrote. But it still wasn't right. The little girl did the only thing she could think of and went crying to her mother for help.
"Mommy, I got all my research done and I've written my draft but it has to be typed and put on the board and it's due tomorrow", the little girl wailed to her mother, at 10 pm at night. The mother loved her daughter, so she tsked at her and hugged her, and said,
"It will be all right. I'll help you." Mother sat at the typewriter (i said long ago,no there was no computer, now hush and listen) typing up the paper, correcting the daughters spelling and grammar mistakes, until the early hours of the morning.
At last they were finished and the little girl hung the finished report on her poster board.
"Good night, sweet heart. Let this be a lesson to you. Never put off the writing of the report until the last minute." The Mommy hugged her daughter and tucked her in bed.
"oh I learned my lesson." The little girl solemnly swore and she snuggled down to sleep. And she meant it.
Until her first Science report a few years later when she forgot again. "Mom!" the cry went out. Again the mother sat up most of the night with the daughter.
"Learn from this." the mother warned
"I will. I did." the little girl answered.
Until a few months later when her History report was due.
"Mom!" "Learn from this." "I did."
and so the cycle repeated its self for a long time.
Never once did the Mother complain or carp on the girl. She just helped and then said learn, and she would smile this secret little smile that the little girl could never really understand.
Years later the little girl was all grown up and had children of her own.
"Mommy!" the little child cried "I have a report due tomorrow and I have all the research but it isn't written! Can you help me?"
And the little girl's heart froze in her chest. She should have listened to her Mommy and learned. Because she now understood the secret smile and that her Mothers curse for her had come back quadruple fold. How many nights would she lose sleep helping her children to learn a lesson she never did?
sorry Mommy, but can we talk truce here? I learned my lesson I really did!
posted by Bk30 at 12/10/2007 09:40:00 PM
2 Comments:
Merry Christmas you!
Hi just wanted to pass on our url in case you were ever interested in submitting a short story for consideration in a future issue - it is shortstory.us.com - hope to hear from you!
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