Last Friday, Lady Laura and I took Liam to the park.
It was a rare, beautiful blue day in the UK, so we took full advantage of it. Among the parkgoers was a woman and her daughter, who couldn't have been older than two.
The girl ran around trying all the swings and slides available, but eventually, she got bored.
So what did she do?
What any other kid in her situation would do…
She tugged on her mother’s coat and begged her to come play.
The mother's response?
A FLICK OF THE HAND AS SHE REMAINED GLUED TO HER PHONE.📱
It truly was a sorry sight.
Even my dark heart ached for the poor little girl.
Had Liam been older, I would've told him to run over and rescue her from her tedium like a good prince, but alas, he can only crawl.
"This is why so many kids go rogue," I said to Laura, shaking my head. “Starved of attention."
She didn't disagree.
“It festers over time like a bad wound, turning good kids into unruly ones.”
I’m not saying it's causation, but I AM saying there could be some correlation to this theory of mine. Whether you agree or disagree isn't so much the point as it is about understanding that a lack of presence in a child’s life will have an effect on them over a long enough horizon.
And here’s the bit that would make a lot of parents uncomfortable:
If you’re not present in their life, someone or something else is.
Unnerving, right?
And given all the noise circulating around the “hit” Netflix show, Adolescence, which seems to explore this issue deeply, I reckon the lass above might benefit from watching it.
"But Daniel… she could have been reading an important email!”
Spare me the waffle.
Nobody thumbs their screen for 20 minutes straight, unless, of course…
SHE WAS READING A CHAPTER OF THE DIVIDED REGION.😏
If that was the case, then I hereby dismiss this unsanctioned hearing and exonerate the lady of all crimes. You, my faithful Legionnaire, can safely scrub the memory of this email from your mind.
That is, unless you’re new not only to the Legion, but to the fantasy series in question.
If that happens to be you, then listen up, Liegeling.
In addition to chapters that can be read in 20 minutes or less, you will find a world divided by treachery and characters that will tug on your coat-tail.
The hero of the story knows what it feels like to be alone in the proverbial playground, only this playground is filled with creatures and powerful people who wish him dead.
Sound like an adventure you’d like to partake in?
Then I hereby grant you safe passage:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/divided-region-starter-bundle
DJJW