At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)
What if you had the care of a young child (age 7 or under) with magical powers? How would you handle saying no to them, considering that they might be able to overrule you using their powers?
I'd learn what calms them real quick. (And go back and watch Looper for more pointers.)
ReplyDeleteI would hope one of their magical qualities was they had the ability to follow the command "no." :)
ReplyDeletebetty
I'll pass. I don't want to take care of any child....magical or not!
ReplyDeleteI didn't say you had a choice...
DeleteIt would depend on the child...if the child is like Tabitha, I would talk with her and tell her it is not best to use her powers or bad men will come and take her away to dissect her-fear works:) If the kid is like that brat from Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and i knew that kid could send me to the cornfield, I will take that kid out. In the words of Alfred Hitchcock, "Destroy that child."
ReplyDeleteGood point. You have to wonder how the brat from The Twilight Zone got that bad.
DeleteWell wouldn't that be fun? lol I think I'm good sticking to herd cats and dogs. :D
ReplyDeleteHummmm. Although I think Brigit said it very well, if I remember correctly there were worse things than the cornfield! Good kid? Maybe reason with them and ask them to help me figure out how to best help them with their gift/curse. Bad kid? Run like hell....
ReplyDeleteYes, she did. It would depend on the child to some extent.
DeleteI'm a little too worried about the Twilight Zone thing happening. I'm definitely not having any magical children.
ReplyDeleteI would discipline this kid like any other. If it's my kid, he or she already knows there is a time and a place to use those powers, and this isn't one of them.
ReplyDeleteGood point.
DeleteI'm along the thinking of J E Oneil. Great reminder of a creepy episode featuring a very talented young actor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's one of the touchstones I thought of when I came up with the question. Although, it was actually generated from a different TV show.
DeleteJeez. I feel like this question would be dependent on the powers. If it's something I could battle or contain, than I could use it as a teaching mechanism (i.e., don't abuse your powers). I'm really not sure if it's something that could severely injure or kill me.
ReplyDeleteI did not specify what powers, so feel free to imagine any powers you would like.
DeleteI think this is where good parenting comes in. Good parenting is about motivating out of love, and although it's tricky to get to that point, a patient, soft-spoken parent gets a better reaction out of a child than the strict one.
ReplyDelete