Hattie Altmann
The two stories I chose to listen to were both under the parenthood stories category. I decided to look in this section because I find it very interesting how different parent and child relationships can be and how they evolve as the kids get older.
The first story I listened to was titled “A Mother on the Challenges of Becoming a Teenage Parent,” where she interviewed her 16-year-old son. April had her son, Gregory, at the age of 16 and when she was asked how she felt after giving birth to him she replied by explaining that she didn’t feel anything and didn’t know how to feel because she was so young.
The message I found in this story was towards the end when Gregory asks his mom what are her dream for him. She replied, “I want you to become a good person, and not a nice person that’s not a deep quality to me.” This dream for her son reveals to him that he just wants to be like his mom. He was searching for someone to look up to when he was younger and now sees the person was right in front of him.
The second story I listened to was about a mother and her 8-year-old daughter. The two had never done an interview before and found that the best moments are often unplanned. The mom asked her daughter to ask any question in the world to her, and her question was if her mom liked unicorns. I was not expecting this question to reveal so much about their relationship.
The daughter reveals that her obsession with unicorns is because they are cute and most importantly because they have horns to protect against bullies. As the conversation continues, the mom asks how the bully makes her daughter feel and that after she is bullied she is changed because she no longer has a smile on her face.
The two found that they felt the same way about how bullying made them feel. The story finished with them both saying “you’re something to me” to each other, which I thought was a perfect ending to show their love and respect for each other.
This is so interesting Hattie! I listened to the stories myself and I understand what you mean about how that ending was perfect for the mother and daughter. Great choices!