Stay Together For The Kids

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Today’s prompt from the 30 Day Writing Challenge is:

Pick the title of one of your favourite songs and write a piece about it. Give the lyrics meaning by creating a story for it.

This was sooooo hard, but I finally decided on…


Stay Together For The Kids by Blink 182 which is one of my favourites by them. I’ve always thought it sounds such a sad song and the moral of the story is that staying together for the sake of the kids isn’t always the best thing to do…

Lyrics
Its hard to wake up
When the shades have been pulled shut
This house is haunted
Its so pathetic
It makes no sense at all
Im ripe with things to say
The words rot and fall away
What stupid poem could fix this home
Id read it every day

So heres your holiday
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away
It was mine
So when youre dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost
Its not right

Their anger hurts my ears
Been running strong for 7 years
Rather than fix the problems
They never solve them
It makes no sense at all
I see them everyday
We get along so why cant they
If this is what he wants
And this is what she wants
Then whys there so much pain

My Story…
Thud.

As the hammer drops from my hand onto the carpet I realise the cat has witnessed the whole frenzied scene. I reach out to stroke her black fur but she retreats and hisses. Looks like ive made an enemy. I dont blame her though, I wouldnt want blood on my head either.

Looking down at my mothers motionless body I realise that never again will I have to hear that pathetic wailing, the door slamming, and the shouting. Things should be nice and quiet from now on. I hope Dad will be happy, she was always picking on him, nagging and threatening to leave.

I look down at my hands, its like ive been sliding in a red oil slick, but when I rub them together I’m surprised that it just feels like water.

The pool under mums body is getting bigger and im starting to panic. What if Dad is angry? What will we tell the neighbours? Whos going to cook dinner tonight?

Dad will be home soon, I should clean up, at least wash my hands and change my clothes. I wish id asked her how to use the washing machine.

I run up to my bedroom and pulling at the zip step out of my grey skirt, I hate my school uniform. Mum said she would buy me another skirt today, so it looks like I’ll be wearing trousers tomorrow.

As I button up my jeans I hear Dads car pull onto the drive. Hes early, typical. I rush to the top of the stairs, but its too late, hes already in the hallway.

“Wheres your Mother Chloe?” Hes holding a big bunch of flowers. Why does he always feel the need to apologise?
“Shes in the kitchen Dad.”
I smile sweetly and then listen to his piercing screams.

And just I case you want to hear the song…

That was fun, I might do a few more 🙂

Have you ever used a song to inspire a story?

22 thoughts on “Stay Together For The Kids”

  1. Such a SHOCKING piece! My jaw dropped when I read the beginning, and while I was reading the rest my hand was covering my mouth. I am honored that this is a result of one of my challenges. Amazing job, Vikki!

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  5. That’s amazing Vikki. Few people think about how the continual arguing affects the children and how they can take sides when fathers a bully or mothers a nag. We forget children can snap too. A great take on that theme.
    xxx Massive Hugs xxxx

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    • Thanks David 🙂

      I know and I think people don’t realise how their relationships effect their kids. If I had to spend years listening to 2 people constantly bickering I think I’d snap! But as an adult, you can walk away, kids can’t 😦

      Xx

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  6. My writing class homework one week was to write a piece inspired by a song or piece of music. I closed my eyes, scrolled through my iTunes and clicked on a song at random. The result – Boris the spider by The Who! It was great fun.

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      • I wrote a story about a young spider who is really miserable because he keeps getting bullied. The only times he manages to catch anything to eat in his web, the kids at school steal his lunch box and he loses it. He finally manages to catch a big juicy fly and decides to eat it there and then. He’s so full after he eats it that he goes for a walk to stretch his legs and get rid of his a stomach ache, and gets splatted! And that was the end of Boris lol! It was so different from anything I’d written before (or probably since) but it was good fun!

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  9. Vikki, I finally got back after my problems with aol. I still don’t get your subscription at my new email however.

    WOW AND WOW … I think this is a powerful piece that highlights how the perception of small children can be so contrary to what wse think they see.

    Love the song … LOVED your story. Good work 🙂

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