Author: Berserker Nightwitch
Chapter Title: Raising Children 101
Posted: July 5, 2004
Previous Chapter Posted: June 28, 2004
"Speaking" - 'Thinking' – Flashback
A/N: Let me just start by apologizing in advance for the poor quality in this chapter. I think there's something wrong with my brain. At this moment, my head is filled with Harry Potter, Gambit (X-Men), The Smiths (music group), and a unexplainable desire to walk through a cemetery... So sorry if the characters seem off, or if the writing and ideas in here seem a little... strange.
Thank Yous:
Flour Chief - I can't believe it's taken this long for you to find this story! I'm hurt! I told you about it on the way home from school! Well, at least you like it now that you've found it.
Bobby'sgirl51 – I'm glad you like it! I hope this wait wasn't as long for you.
harryptaxd204 – I'm so happy that you're friends with the review button. The chapters should be coming out quicker, but you never know.
Jenna – I hadn't even thought of that... I'll try and work it in somewhere! Thanks for the review! My first outside idea...
a458sbcglobal – Thumbs ups are fun! Thank you very much!
Jamie – I will if you will. It really makes me feel like less than cheap entertainment to get only two words for a review. Thanks for the review, but could you say what you like or don't like next time?
Rachel – Thank you. I'm trying to keep it at least semi-original.
Madison – I know the ages are a little off, but that's why it's roughly ten years instead of exactly. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Goddess of darkness3 – Thank you much!
Tensleep – Yeah, I like that, too. And what's the point of having a dedicated reviewer if you don't butter them up? Rambling is always fun. I'll keep that in mind... UPDATE YOUR STORY SOON! UPDATE!!!! Ahem... yeah.... Your turn!
"Hey, kids! Time to get up!"
"I don' wanna!"
"Tough luck, Sodapop. C'mon," Steve called to the upstairs, grinning. He hadn't thought he would like raising the children, but the three Curtises were good kids. It had only been three days since the brothers became children, and Steve and Two-Bit had been living there the entire time.
Ponyboy became attached to the latter after he woke up in the young man's arms. He would not fall asleep at night unless Two-Bit was there to say goodnight to him and Soda was in bed with him. Soda had become more outgoing as he got used to the people he was living with. The child still harbored a grudge against Dally for insulting his baby brother. Darry was becoming quiet, but he came out of his shell whenever any kind of physical game was suggested. He was still extremely protective of his siblings, though.
Two-Bit and Steve had plans to sign up for a parenting class later that day to help them understand the people they were temporarily raising. However, at that exact moment, everyone was just trying to wake up and get started with their day. Darry was already wide-awake and eating breakfast. Pony woke up easily enough, but almost had a fit when there was no chocolate cake on the table.
He knew he had seen the older people eating cake the previous morning, and he intended to get some. Darry fully agreed with his baby brother, so both children had been given a slice of cake. Soda was not willing to wake up at that time, and he wasn't afraid of letting the others know it.
At around ten that morning everyone was finally ready. Two-Bit and Steve left for their class, leaving Johnny and Dally to care for the three youngsters. Unfortunately for them, the three Curtises thought of them as substitute parents, and treated them as such. Johnny and Dally had their hands full trying to keep track of three energetic children.
"You are all here for one of two reasons. The first is that you will soon become parents and want to know how to handle your baby when he or she becomes a small child. The second is that you have already passed the infant years and now desperately need help understanding your toddler or young child. Either way, the child should not be too difficult to manage."
Two-Bit and Steve glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. This woman had obviously never met the Curtis children. It was a wonder their parents still looked so young at their deaths. Those children were already running the teenagers and young adults ragged, and it had only been three days!
"Set down rules that you and the child can agree to. Never let the child talk you into something. Also, never bribe the child to do something with sweets." The two greasers looked at each other again. They had already failed in three ways, and it hadn't even been a week.
"C'mon, Steve! One candy won't hurt, would it? I promise I'll eat everything on my plate at dinner!" Steve could feel his resolve crumbling under the giant eyes of his miniaturized best friend. "Pretty please?"
"Fine... but you have to eat everything, or I'll never let you have another one before dinner."
"Thanks! You're the bestest!"
"Give the child a definite bedtime. It will satisfy the child's craving for stability."
"Why do we have to go to bed now?"
"Mommy and Daddy didn't give me an' Darry bedtimes!"
"I'm not sleepy! Don' wanna go to bed!"
"Come on guys, please! You'll have lots more energy tomorrow!"
"You'we lying! We have enewgy anyways!"
"Do not allow sweets with the meal. It will only teach the child that he or she can have whatever he or she wants."
"I'm not eating if there's no cake!" Darry announced, crossing his arms across his chest. Johnny sat down across from him and tried to explain, but Darry would have none of it.
"The cake will only rot your teeth. The food will make you grow up big and strong, and-"
"I don' wanna grow up big an' strong, then!"
"If you eat all your dinner, you can have cake afterwards," Dally offered in desperation.
"Fine."
"If the child should misbehave, administer discipline at once. The child will eventually thank you for setting boundaries and shaping his or her life."
"Go to time-out."
"I hate you, you.... You...Big, ugly jerk-head!"
That's all for this session. We will meet here again next week at this time. Thank you for coming."
"So do you plan on coming back?"
"Why would I? This place is ten dollars a session! There are many better uses for that kind of money."
"Especially since that woman's a flake."
Two-Bit and Steve walked back to the Curtis place, wondering how the other two had handled the whole day with the three terrors. The children were adorable when they were separated, sleeping, or almost sleeping, but were trouble on two legs in any other situation.
"Johnny, where's Pony?"
"In his room."
"No he's not."
"Yeah he is, Dal."
"I'm serious. He's not in his room."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I'm in his room, and he's not."
"WHAT?!?!"
"You're in trouble now," Soda whispered to Johnny, his brown eyes twinkling merrily.
"Why?"
"'Cause you lost Pony, and he's the baby, and Mommy's gonna be pissed!"
"Don't say that word," Johnny admonished distractedly. Dally ran down the stairs, earning himself 'looks' from the two children.
"You're gonna be in a lot of trouble when Mom and Dad come back," Darry told him in a superior tone.
"Why's that?" Dally asked, not really worried, but amused.
"First you yelled inside the house, then you played football inside, and you said bad words, and you smoke, and you lost Pony, and now you ran down the stairs with scissors."
Dally exchanged a look with Johnny before leaving the taller boy to care for the older two while he looked for Pony. It took almost an hour, but he eventually found the Curtis baby playing with an old rubber ball in the lot.
"Ponyboy Michael Curtis! What do you think you're doing?" Dally yelled, startling the child into tears.
"I sowwy! I wanna play, but Johnny said nap, and I'm not sleepy, and thewe was a ball in the fwont yawd, and I chased it, and it landed hewe! I sowwy, Dally!"
After hesitating only a second Dally scooped the child into his arms and began rocking him. Ponyboy stopped crying a few minutes later, but he continued to sniffle the entire way home.
"I'm not mad at you, Pony. Me and Johnnycake were just really worried about you. How were we gonna explain that we had just lost you after only looking after you for a few days?"
"Say sowwy?"
"That don't always work, Kid. Most people want to be told why, and even then they won't forgive you until after you've been punished."
"Awe you gonna punish me?" the child asked in a small voice.
"Not this time. This is your one and only warning. You do anything like that again and I will punish you, got it?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Later that night the other two came home, dinner was made and eaten and/or thrown, and Darry and Soda both had their baths. They were watching TV with Steve and Dally while Johnny and Two-Bit struggled to get Ponyboy into his bath. They ended up having to bribe him with toys and bubbles. Almost thirty minutes later there was a scream from the direction of the upstairs bathroom.
"Don't worry about that! We've got it taken care of!" Johnny yelled down the stairs to the other four.
"Pony, it's normal!"
"No it's not! I don' wanna be pwuney!"
"You've just been in the water too long! Everyone gets wrinkled like that."
"I don' wanna die!"
"You won't. C'mon, let's get you out of that tub." Not longer than after he had been dried however, Ponyboy took off down the hallway, shrieking with laughter.
"Dally, Steve! Catch him!"
"But he's not wearing anything!"
"That's why we need to catch him!"
"You should have kept a better hold on him!"
"Hey, wet four-year-olds are slippery creatures!"
The boy was eventually caught, dressed, and put to bed. His older brothers soon followed, and the four caretakers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is this what parents feel like after a day with their children?"
"If so, I feel sorry for my mom now. Talk about thankless work!"
"It could be worse."
"How?"
"They could be sick."
"Don't even go there."
"I'm going to bed."
"Yeah, me too. This has been a busy day."
A/N: There, one more chapter done! I hope all of you enjoyed it! Thanks for being so patient while waiting! The next chapter should be up soon, and (in my opinion) the cutest chapter of the story after that. Please review.
Dally: Hey!
BN: Hey what?
Johnny: You've been stealing our job!
BN: Funny, I though I was giving you a vacation.
Pony: We had our vacation between the chapters. pointed look
BN: cries
Steve: That was low... Good job, Pony.
Darry: Please review. The longer the review, the happier she gets, so no more of those "More now" or "More please" reviews if you don't mind.
Chapter Title: Raising Children 101
Posted: July 5, 2004
Previous Chapter Posted: June 28, 2004
"Speaking" - 'Thinking' – Flashback
A/N: Let me just start by apologizing in advance for the poor quality in this chapter. I think there's something wrong with my brain. At this moment, my head is filled with Harry Potter, Gambit (X-Men), The Smiths (music group), and a unexplainable desire to walk through a cemetery... So sorry if the characters seem off, or if the writing and ideas in here seem a little... strange.
Thank Yous:
Flour Chief - I can't believe it's taken this long for you to find this story! I'm hurt! I told you about it on the way home from school! Well, at least you like it now that you've found it.
Bobby'sgirl51 – I'm glad you like it! I hope this wait wasn't as long for you.
harryptaxd204 – I'm so happy that you're friends with the review button. The chapters should be coming out quicker, but you never know.
Jenna – I hadn't even thought of that... I'll try and work it in somewhere! Thanks for the review! My first outside idea...
a458sbcglobal – Thumbs ups are fun! Thank you very much!
Jamie – I will if you will. It really makes me feel like less than cheap entertainment to get only two words for a review. Thanks for the review, but could you say what you like or don't like next time?
Rachel – Thank you. I'm trying to keep it at least semi-original.
Madison – I know the ages are a little off, but that's why it's roughly ten years instead of exactly. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Goddess of darkness3 – Thank you much!
Tensleep – Yeah, I like that, too. And what's the point of having a dedicated reviewer if you don't butter them up? Rambling is always fun. I'll keep that in mind... UPDATE YOUR STORY SOON! UPDATE!!!! Ahem... yeah.... Your turn!
"Hey, kids! Time to get up!"
"I don' wanna!"
"Tough luck, Sodapop. C'mon," Steve called to the upstairs, grinning. He hadn't thought he would like raising the children, but the three Curtises were good kids. It had only been three days since the brothers became children, and Steve and Two-Bit had been living there the entire time.
Ponyboy became attached to the latter after he woke up in the young man's arms. He would not fall asleep at night unless Two-Bit was there to say goodnight to him and Soda was in bed with him. Soda had become more outgoing as he got used to the people he was living with. The child still harbored a grudge against Dally for insulting his baby brother. Darry was becoming quiet, but he came out of his shell whenever any kind of physical game was suggested. He was still extremely protective of his siblings, though.
Two-Bit and Steve had plans to sign up for a parenting class later that day to help them understand the people they were temporarily raising. However, at that exact moment, everyone was just trying to wake up and get started with their day. Darry was already wide-awake and eating breakfast. Pony woke up easily enough, but almost had a fit when there was no chocolate cake on the table.
He knew he had seen the older people eating cake the previous morning, and he intended to get some. Darry fully agreed with his baby brother, so both children had been given a slice of cake. Soda was not willing to wake up at that time, and he wasn't afraid of letting the others know it.
At around ten that morning everyone was finally ready. Two-Bit and Steve left for their class, leaving Johnny and Dally to care for the three youngsters. Unfortunately for them, the three Curtises thought of them as substitute parents, and treated them as such. Johnny and Dally had their hands full trying to keep track of three energetic children.
"You are all here for one of two reasons. The first is that you will soon become parents and want to know how to handle your baby when he or she becomes a small child. The second is that you have already passed the infant years and now desperately need help understanding your toddler or young child. Either way, the child should not be too difficult to manage."
Two-Bit and Steve glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. This woman had obviously never met the Curtis children. It was a wonder their parents still looked so young at their deaths. Those children were already running the teenagers and young adults ragged, and it had only been three days!
"Set down rules that you and the child can agree to. Never let the child talk you into something. Also, never bribe the child to do something with sweets." The two greasers looked at each other again. They had already failed in three ways, and it hadn't even been a week.
"C'mon, Steve! One candy won't hurt, would it? I promise I'll eat everything on my plate at dinner!" Steve could feel his resolve crumbling under the giant eyes of his miniaturized best friend. "Pretty please?"
"Fine... but you have to eat everything, or I'll never let you have another one before dinner."
"Thanks! You're the bestest!"
"Give the child a definite bedtime. It will satisfy the child's craving for stability."
"Why do we have to go to bed now?"
"Mommy and Daddy didn't give me an' Darry bedtimes!"
"I'm not sleepy! Don' wanna go to bed!"
"Come on guys, please! You'll have lots more energy tomorrow!"
"You'we lying! We have enewgy anyways!"
"Do not allow sweets with the meal. It will only teach the child that he or she can have whatever he or she wants."
"I'm not eating if there's no cake!" Darry announced, crossing his arms across his chest. Johnny sat down across from him and tried to explain, but Darry would have none of it.
"The cake will only rot your teeth. The food will make you grow up big and strong, and-"
"I don' wanna grow up big an' strong, then!"
"If you eat all your dinner, you can have cake afterwards," Dally offered in desperation.
"Fine."
"If the child should misbehave, administer discipline at once. The child will eventually thank you for setting boundaries and shaping his or her life."
"Go to time-out."
"I hate you, you.... You...Big, ugly jerk-head!"
That's all for this session. We will meet here again next week at this time. Thank you for coming."
"So do you plan on coming back?"
"Why would I? This place is ten dollars a session! There are many better uses for that kind of money."
"Especially since that woman's a flake."
Two-Bit and Steve walked back to the Curtis place, wondering how the other two had handled the whole day with the three terrors. The children were adorable when they were separated, sleeping, or almost sleeping, but were trouble on two legs in any other situation.
"Johnny, where's Pony?"
"In his room."
"No he's not."
"Yeah he is, Dal."
"I'm serious. He's not in his room."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I'm in his room, and he's not."
"WHAT?!?!"
"You're in trouble now," Soda whispered to Johnny, his brown eyes twinkling merrily.
"Why?"
"'Cause you lost Pony, and he's the baby, and Mommy's gonna be pissed!"
"Don't say that word," Johnny admonished distractedly. Dally ran down the stairs, earning himself 'looks' from the two children.
"You're gonna be in a lot of trouble when Mom and Dad come back," Darry told him in a superior tone.
"Why's that?" Dally asked, not really worried, but amused.
"First you yelled inside the house, then you played football inside, and you said bad words, and you smoke, and you lost Pony, and now you ran down the stairs with scissors."
Dally exchanged a look with Johnny before leaving the taller boy to care for the older two while he looked for Pony. It took almost an hour, but he eventually found the Curtis baby playing with an old rubber ball in the lot.
"Ponyboy Michael Curtis! What do you think you're doing?" Dally yelled, startling the child into tears.
"I sowwy! I wanna play, but Johnny said nap, and I'm not sleepy, and thewe was a ball in the fwont yawd, and I chased it, and it landed hewe! I sowwy, Dally!"
After hesitating only a second Dally scooped the child into his arms and began rocking him. Ponyboy stopped crying a few minutes later, but he continued to sniffle the entire way home.
"I'm not mad at you, Pony. Me and Johnnycake were just really worried about you. How were we gonna explain that we had just lost you after only looking after you for a few days?"
"Say sowwy?"
"That don't always work, Kid. Most people want to be told why, and even then they won't forgive you until after you've been punished."
"Awe you gonna punish me?" the child asked in a small voice.
"Not this time. This is your one and only warning. You do anything like that again and I will punish you, got it?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Later that night the other two came home, dinner was made and eaten and/or thrown, and Darry and Soda both had their baths. They were watching TV with Steve and Dally while Johnny and Two-Bit struggled to get Ponyboy into his bath. They ended up having to bribe him with toys and bubbles. Almost thirty minutes later there was a scream from the direction of the upstairs bathroom.
"Don't worry about that! We've got it taken care of!" Johnny yelled down the stairs to the other four.
"Pony, it's normal!"
"No it's not! I don' wanna be pwuney!"
"You've just been in the water too long! Everyone gets wrinkled like that."
"I don' wanna die!"
"You won't. C'mon, let's get you out of that tub." Not longer than after he had been dried however, Ponyboy took off down the hallway, shrieking with laughter.
"Dally, Steve! Catch him!"
"But he's not wearing anything!"
"That's why we need to catch him!"
"You should have kept a better hold on him!"
"Hey, wet four-year-olds are slippery creatures!"
The boy was eventually caught, dressed, and put to bed. His older brothers soon followed, and the four caretakers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is this what parents feel like after a day with their children?"
"If so, I feel sorry for my mom now. Talk about thankless work!"
"It could be worse."
"How?"
"They could be sick."
"Don't even go there."
"I'm going to bed."
"Yeah, me too. This has been a busy day."
A/N: There, one more chapter done! I hope all of you enjoyed it! Thanks for being so patient while waiting! The next chapter should be up soon, and (in my opinion) the cutest chapter of the story after that. Please review.
Dally: Hey!
BN: Hey what?
Johnny: You've been stealing our job!
BN: Funny, I though I was giving you a vacation.
Pony: We had our vacation between the chapters. pointed look
BN: cries
Steve: That was low... Good job, Pony.
Darry: Please review. The longer the review, the happier she gets, so no more of those "More now" or "More please" reviews if you don't mind.