Our Stick Family

Mother and Stacey, her teenage daughter, brought the groceries into the house. Once they were put away, Mother took out the stick family stickers that she had just purchased. She picked out the ones that she thought best described her family.

“What do you think?” asked Mother, showing them to Stacey.

“I like yours, Dad’s and Paul’s,” said Stacey. “I’m not too fond of mine though.”

Mother had picked a stick figure of a girl riding a skateboard.

“What don’t you like about it?” asked Mother.

“I’m no longer into skateboards,” said Stacey. “This fall, I want to play floor hockey.”

Stacey searched through the stickers and found a girl that was playing hockey.

“That one is perfect,” said Stacey.

“So,” said Mother. “How come you have not said anything about floor hockey until now?”

“No reason,” said Stacey.

“Remember our rules of our stick family game,” said Mother. “You have to tell the truth. You must have had a reason.”

“I guess the reason is,” said Stacey. “You spent all that money on my skateboard and I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Thank you,” said Mother. “I appreciate your honesty. However, don’t ever feel afraid to talk to me about things.”

“Okay,” said Stacey. “I won’t.”

Mother and Stacey took the stick figures out to the garage and put them on the back window of the car. Once they had them on the car, they stood back to admire them.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Mother. “We forgot your brother’s.”

Mother had left Paul’s stick figure sticker on the kitchen table. Mother and Stacey went into the house to get it. Paul just happened to come into the kitchen.

“You two aren’t going to put stick family stickers on our car,” said Paul. “Are you?”

“Yes,” said Stacey. “We actually have them on the car but we forgot yours on the kitchen table.”

Stacey pointed to the sticker Mother had picked out for Paul. She had one of a stick figure playing drums.

“Mother!” exclaimed Paul. “I don’t play drums any more.”

“Oh,” said Mother. “What instrument do you play?”

“Electric guitar,” said Paul.

Stacey sorted through the stickers and found one of a stick figure playing an electric guitar. Mother and Stacey took it out to the garage and put it on the back window with the others.

“They look great,” said Mother.

“No they don’t,” said Dad, who just came home from work. “Why do you have me wearing a baseball hat? I like football, not baseball. What are you doing putting these on the car anyway?”

Mother told Dad all about the stick family game that her and Stacey played in the parking lot at the mall and how it got them talking.

“I see,” said Dad. “What is our stick family story?”

“Well,” said Mother. “I learned that Stacey no longer likes skateboards. She likes floor hockey. Paul doesn’t play drums anymore. He plays electric guitar and you like football not baseball.”

“I had no idea about Stacey and Paul either,” said Dad, taking a whole new appreciation for stick family stickers.