Life Changes
May 15, 2019 at 9:02 am 40 comments
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 17 May 2019
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| Photo Credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields |
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Riley was daddy’s girl. Saturday was bonding day. He’d take her to the nearby community pool, get ice cream, or go to the movies.
But what a difference four years made. After completing his tour of duty in Afghanistan, John came home to find his daughter had grown up and become more independent.
On the first Saturday of his return, he thought of taking her out on a father-daughter date as it used to be.
“Hey, pumpkin, would you like to go for a swim today?”
“Thanks, dad, I’m good,” Riley said nonchalantly without taking her eyes off her smartphone.
Entry filed under: Blogroll, friday fictioneers. Tags: 100-word challenge, fiction, humor.
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Musings of a Random Mind 
1.
Iain Kelly | May 15, 2019 at 9:50 am
They grow up so fast, if only they stayed kids for a bit longer!
2.
plaridel | May 15, 2019 at 12:03 pm
iain:
yes, a great lesson for dads to take advantage of every moment they share with their kids. 🙂
3.
JoHawkTheWriter | May 15, 2019 at 11:19 am
A few years and absence can change everything.
4.
plaridel | May 15, 2019 at 12:03 pm
johawk:
i totally agree. nothing stands still. 🙂
5.
Susan A Eames | May 15, 2019 at 11:50 am
Ah, teenagers. It made me feel sorry for John.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
6.
plaridel | May 15, 2019 at 12:03 pm
susan:
such is life.
7.
Dale | May 15, 2019 at 6:04 pm
How horrible after four years of not seeing Dad, she doesn’t even want to catch up with him…
8.
plaridel | May 16, 2019 at 9:37 am
dale:
dad should be more understanding. teen years are perplexing times.
9.
Dale | May 16, 2019 at 9:41 am
True…
10.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:14 pm
dale:
🙂
11.
draliman | May 16, 2019 at 3:23 am
He’s missed so much being away. I’m sure once his daughter gets a few years older they’ll bond again but she’s currently living through the “smartphone years”.
12.
plaridel | May 16, 2019 at 9:36 am
draliman:
it always does. dad should give her some time to get used to his presence again.
13.
Keith's Ramblings | May 16, 2019 at 5:55 am
Don’t start me on young people and smartphones!
Rosey, a joke and some wine!.
14.
plaridel | May 16, 2019 at 9:36 am
keith:
young people and smartphones are inseperable these days. they can’t seem to live without them. 🙂
15.
patriciaruthsusan | May 16, 2019 at 6:36 am
What a shame. He probably needs that bonding time now more than she does. Perhaps his wife can step in and have a talk with her. The daughter needs to be more understanding. She may have children someday. A good story, Plaridel. Well written. —- Suzanne
16.
plaridel | May 16, 2019 at 9:35 am
suzanne:
as a teenager, she’s at that stage where she needs more understanding and patience from her dad. hopefully, he’d pass the test. 🙂
17.
Russell Gayer | May 16, 2019 at 11:19 am
A wise man told me once, “Enjoy them while they’re little. Once they get older they won’t want you around. You’ll cramp their style.”
I’ve found that to be very true.
18.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:13 pm
russell:
kahlil gibran was right in his poem:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
19.
Brenda's Thoughts | May 16, 2019 at 11:51 am
Maybe she needs some time to adjust as he’s been gone for four years. It’s hard on her as well. I do feel sad for John though. Nicely told!
20.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:13 pm
brenda:
yes, i think both need to adjust to the current situation and not dwell on the past too much.
21.
msjadeli | May 17, 2019 at 6:03 pm
that had to hurt so much
22.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:12 pm
msjadeli:
after being gone for a long time, it’s definitely not the kind of treatment he expects.
23.
Abhijit Ray | May 17, 2019 at 6:39 pm
Times change, people grow old. Daddy has to understand his little girl is not that little anymore. She has developed a mind of her own. At the same time, Riley could have been a little accommodating.
24.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:12 pm
abhijit:
give them time and i’m sure they will be able to work things together.
25.
rochellewisoff | May 17, 2019 at 8:20 pm
Dear Plaridel,
Kind of sad social commentary. Understandable that things change but the cell phone added something. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
26.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:11 pm
rochelle:
i totally agree.
27.
Violet Lentz | May 18, 2019 at 5:45 am
That has to be a hard moment in any parents life. To go from their everything, to the plague, just like that.
28.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:11 pm
violet:
teen years can be difficult for both kids and parents.
29.
granonine | May 18, 2019 at 7:15 am
How tragic. She had plenty of time to learn to be self-absorbed, and to not need her dad any more. But take heart. The situation usually comes full circle when she gets her eyes off herself.
30.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:11 pm
linda:
she’s at that period in her life when she needs more understanding.
31.
granonine | May 18, 2019 at 5:11 pm
Yes. And a great deal of patience 🙂
32.
plaridel | May 19, 2019 at 2:04 pm
linda:
amen. 🙂
33.
Bear | May 18, 2019 at 7:37 am
Ouch, I feel for him. Great story.
34.
plaridel | May 18, 2019 at 3:11 pm
bear:
hopefully, it’s just a phase on her part. 🙂
35.
Margaret | May 18, 2019 at 5:48 pm
You’ve captured it exactly. The teen years are a nightmare. Dad’s seen the horrors of war, but she’s got her own priorities and only time and maturity will bring her back to a better set of values.
36.
plaridel | May 19, 2019 at 2:04 pm
margaret:
both have a lot of catching up to do.
37.
Tannille | May 19, 2019 at 12:13 am
Reminds me of the song ‘Cats and the Caddle’.
Daddy’s little girl not so little anymore.
38.
plaridel | May 19, 2019 at 2:04 pm
tannille:
i guess nothing stands still. 🙂
39.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | May 19, 2019 at 12:28 pm
I think they will have to find a new way of bonding… four years is a long time for a young person.
40.
plaridel | May 19, 2019 at 2:03 pm
björn:
i’m sure they’d find it in due time.