The Truth About Kids
Mona Simpson expresses the idea that a parent's intense need to see their child succeed to assure themselves that they have raised them right, they can often overlook the child's ability and happiness because of their blinding goal of accomplishment. In the story Melinda’s mother and father are divorced and she goes through life without her father most of the time and lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend Jerry. Melinda’s mother makes her do ice skating, but she is so wrapped up with her own life that she doesn't realize Melinda does not enjoy skating. When it was time for Melinda to go out a skate it was too late and she made a complete fool out of herself, “ Under the slow spotlight, she twirled inside the box of Jerry's arm. I quit skating after that” (27). This quote showed that her mother was not paying attention and was ignorant for leaving her daughter for her boyfriend. Both of the parents in the story tend to forget about their daughter and use her for selfish reasons. She made a decision that she would rather please her mom then have her dad have fake love for her like said in this quote, “It seemed I was on the verge of using one of two things I badly wanted, with each step, it seemed I was choosing”(29). We can see here her mother did not care if Melinda wanted to talk to her father, she used innocent Melinda to get something she wanted from the father. Therefore many parents often do the same as Melinda’s parents in the story.
