The Tale of the Bad Mother

Once upon a time, there lived a mother who had many children. She's not like other mothers. To paraphrase an animal story, this mother treated her children equally, although some are more equal than the others.

The mother hated the independent-minded children. She punished them for the slightest infractions. Even if they knew they were doing the right thing, the mother did not look at them with loving eyes.

The mother liked her brown-nosing kids - those who gushed at her every move, who praised her despite her partiality and cruelty. She gave them what they wanted as long as their loyalty was hers. And their devotion to her grew, thanks to all the gifts they received.

Needless to say, the mother loved her children conditionally.

There was one son that the mother loved most of all. Once, this child brought home a diamond ring as a gift to her mother. Everyone knew the child couldn't have afforded it, but the mother accepted the gift nonetheless. Her adoration for the child even grew.

As time passed by, the child grew into a bully. If he set his sight on something, he would get it at any cost. But no one would stop him, not even the mother. He was the mother's fair-haired boy, and she was the son's doting parent.

One day, he had a squabble with her sister. She wanted the bully's candy, which enraged the boy. The bully beat her sister to a pulp, all because she longed for his candy. All the other children were shocked. Some were outraged, some were scared. None could do anything about it.

The mother wouldn't have lifted a finger as well, although she knew that she had created a tyrant. If it weren't for the neighbors' horrified looks, she wouldn't have considered a slap on the wrist. Truth be told, he kind of frightened her, so she was afraid to hurt the boy's feelings. She tiptoed around the boy's room, looking for a way to approach him.

She is still scuttling outside the room, thinking of ways to make the most out of the situation, as all the neighbors and children look on.

The end?

Photo credit: Brian Yap, Flickr, Creative Commons