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| PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
DADDY'S GIRL
Daddy
was an Olympic swimmer. Not a gold winner, but a good swimmer.
He
was competitive for his daughter. He took her to the pool and carried
her, screaming, into the water.
Daddy
despaired and then got mad. The daughter despaired and then got sad. He
tried enticement, but her fear of failure blocked his efforts.
She
grew up knowing she wasn't good enough for him.
After
he died she conquered her fears and learned to swim. She would never
be an Olympic swimmer, but wasn't finally being able to swim enough?
Wouldn't Daddy finally be proud of her?
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Being able to swim was probably a greater feat than winning a medal
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it definitely was for her.
DeleteDoes Daddy deserve to be proud of her? - perhaps she would have responded better without being pushed so much. Yet we always want to please our parents. Good piece.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wanted to explore how a parent pushing a child can cause hang-ups and feelings of unworthiness.
DeleteHis expectations definitely ruined the potential for any good relationship between them.
ReplyDeleteYes, she spent her life feeling unworthy of him.
DeleteParents can be so unrelenting...
ReplyDeleteThey can. Perhaps through blindness rather than unkindness.
DeleteHow many parents are truly like this? I bet there are many and that is sad and really can screw up the kids. I. Glad she learned to swim and, I think, conquered her fear of her dad’s displeasure. Sometimes, dads can see how they were and amend their bad behaviour but others never do so she can’t care what he thinks but just do it for herself.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think this sort of thing happens. We are all affected by our childhood experiences whether we realise it or not.
DeleteI see this type of thing in my counseling office. Not from the parent, but from the adult child who is still struggling with a sense of not being enough, of being a failure. When we impose our own hopes and expectations on a child, we set up a cycle of failure and rejection that can carry on into the next generation. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad - but I hope I hit the right note with this. It's hard to convey everything in so few words!
DeleteNicely done. I did a story with a similar theme, but a different slant.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It's always interesting to see how other writers have interpreted the same photo prompt. I'll take a look at your story. :)
DeleteA good story, Susan and sadly true for some. Parents don't give birth to or father clones but individuals. My mother told me how her father "taught" her and her siblings to swim by throwing them into deeper water. She hated it and would never swim in water over her head. The fear remained her entire life. --- Suzanne
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad! I had a frightening experience when my mother dipped me into a swimming pool when I was young. It took me a long time to lose my fear, but I'm glad to say that I've been a super keen scuba diver for years now.
DeleteDeserves a medal for conquering her fears.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing this, I felt that it would take her father's death to make her feel safe from criticism and finally allow her to learn to swim.
DeleteHow sad for both of them. Unfortunately, it happens too often. Nicely told
ReplyDeleteYes, it's something that parents should be aware of, but rarely are.
DeleteTo set your own goals is what matters... I so much wishes that her father would have realized that before it was to late.
ReplyDeleteI think he was maybe too obsessed to realise. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteDear Susan,
ReplyDeleteIt seems Daddy tried to force his daughter to fulfill his dreams. Sad tale. No winners. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
He messed with her confidence without realising what he was doing. At least she finally achieved something.
Deletei'm sure he's proud of her and beaming with love and pride.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, for her sake.
DeleteParents can be so damaging, even if they don't mean to be.
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortunately it seems to be a part of being human.
DeleteYour tale is too sad for words.
ReplyDeleteExpertly done, Susan
Thank you - appreciate your feedback.
DeleteSometimes as adults we forget that there are steps along the way to fulfilling dreams.
ReplyDeleteAnn
It's all too easy to project our dreams onto our children, Ann.
DeleteA sorry story in which she only started living her own life after her father had died.
ReplyDeleteRosey, a joke and some wine!.
I think we all strive to please our parents when we're children, but sometimes things can go too far.
ReplyDeletePoor kid, pushed into something she didn't want to do. I'm glad she learned to swim in the end, though!
ReplyDeleteYes, hopefully she can now move on.
DeleteSuch a tragedy to have that doubt forever! Would her father be proud of her? Nicely written, Susan!
ReplyDeleteI think she'll be fine so long as she believes she's finally done what he wanted. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI bet Daddy was proud of her anyway. Too bad she carried that guilt and fear of disappointing her father all those years.
ReplyDeleteYes, but I blame the father for not realising what he was doing to his daughter. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteGood questions she is asking herself. She is on the path of processing her complex relationship with her father.
ReplyDeleteYes, hopefully she'll sort herself out now. Thanks for the feedback.
DeleteParents should never burden their children with their own unfulfilled ambitions.
ReplyDeleteNo they shouldn't, but I wonder how many see it as 'encouragement' rather than 'burdening'? Thanks for the comment, Liz.
DeleteWell said. I think this happens a lot in many ways. Good for her for conquering her fears, but how sad that she lived her life while he was still in it, thinking she didn't make him proud.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's sad when parents make their children feel undervalued. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he just wanted her to swim. I can sort of relate to this. My father tried teaching me swimming but unlike my sister who took to the water easily I would scream and shout. He never pressured me and in the end I started swimming myself by the time I was twelve.
ReplyDeleteNo, he didn't just want her to swim. I wrote the father character as a competitive parent who got mad with her for not following his dreams. Appreciate your comments and I'm glad you overcame your own fears. :)
ReplyDeleteSad.
ReplyDeleteYes, but at least she conquered her fear of the water. Thanks for commenting.
DeletePoignant and well told. I loved the rhythm of these two lines: "Daddy despaired and then got mad. The daughter despaired and then got sad."
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a relief. I was a bit worried that it might sound too stylised! Thanks for the feedback.
DeleteRaising a child is such a huge responsibility. Most of us are still working through our own insecurities and 'baggage' when our children come along - I wonder how anyone manages to turn out ok. Great story - you portray your character's situation very convincingly and movingly.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all affected by our parents one way or the other. Thanks for the lovely feedback.
DeleteLooks like force worked, after all. But was that force required in the first place? Pity parents who try to impose their will and undue expectations on hapless, unwilling children. Good story
ReplyDeleteYes, parents need to know how to encourage their children without turning them into nervous wrecks! Thanks for commenting, Neel.
Delete