A Different Kind of Dad Appreciation Post
Shielding your children from harm is one of the most important jobs of being a parent. But where do you draw the line?
Many dads will go to great lengths to protect their kids. But what that looks like varies greatly for everyone. In honor of Father’s Day, we’re revisiting a Narratively Classic that examines how far one dad is willing to go to keep his family safe — and at what cost. This story twists and turns in ways you won’t see you coming and leaves you wondering what you might do in similar circumstances.
My Father's Fanatical Feud With the Bullies Next Door Became an All-Out War
When I was seven years old, my father started sleeping on the sofa with a rifle.
We lived in a small Oregon town with a population of only a few thousand. Nestled on a gravel-lined, dead-end street, my childhood home was an idyllic setting to raise a family. To the east, a snow-capped Mt. Hood jutted from the tree-lined horizon. To the west, acres of cow pastures rolled into the distant hills. Everyone on our tiny street knew everyone else, and everyone knew our next-door neighbors hated us.
Lined up in neat rows along our backyard was a young orchard: spindly trees still too weak to bear fruit, propped up by wooden stakes and thick twine. Looping through the branches and woven between the trees was a series of tripwires adorned with silver Christmas bells. My father told me he put them up to keep the deer from eating our apples. That also explained the rifle, I thought. My dad wanted to protect us.