A Family (rough draft)

If I were to script a family... I mean write a story in which the characters formed a group of - let's say - 5.325 people who love each other despite their differences, shortcomings and all the other reasons they shouldn't get along... I'd construct the tale from right here at my kitchen table.

The disarmingly charming dad would be a better than average-looking hero in his mid-thirties who – despite his fight against self absorbency – thinks rather highly of himself, but has a hard time dealing with his internal demons.

The mom would be a beautiful woman – younger, but much more mature than the father – who takes not even a single breath without determining how it will affect the rest of her family... her life. She's the backbone. The glue.

The eldest child is a beauty, like her mother, with a servant’s heart and a passion for making other people happy. She’s the Pleaser. She has Attention Deficit Disorder, so her daily battles become unfair fodder for the rest of the family to create blame…

The son is tough as nails, cute as a puppy and inquisitive to a fault. His daily quests bring spankings and screams and time alone in a corner that would completely destroy a lesser soul. He continues with the determination of a seasoned soldier…

Then there’s the baby. She is loved because she is Love itself. She is beautiful, sweet, innocent and playful. She is the heart of the family and the single reason "the fetus" is not a hated creature upon which all discontent – prior, current and yon – will fall.

The fetus resides comfortably within the matriarch. It will play an integral role throughout the rest of the story…