Saturday Climbing By WD Valgardson

Parenting a teenager can be compared to rock climbing, each handhold being the most effective way to parent when faced with unexpected mood swings and outbursts. The short story "Saturday Climbing" by WD Valgardson describes a single father struggling to maintain a good relationship with his teenage daughter. Barry has good intentions when it comes to parenting but fails to bring them to life through positive actions. He ignores the fact that his daughter is growing up and continues to treat her like a child, coming off as overbearing. Barry "was acutely aware of how tenuous her life was, of how much he would suffer if he lost her" (56), leading him to become controlling and stubborn when it comes to Moira taking on any responsibility. He described

How will I get used to being alone?" (57). Although Barry says he is "trying to keep her from rushing headlong into taking on too much responsibility at once" (55), he is truly acting selfishly, convincing himself that holding her back from her future is protecting her when in reality, he is afraid of her becoming an adult. Whenever Moira tries to talk to Barry about her taking on any responsibility, he becomes defensive and close-minded, having plenty of arguments ready, "she had caught him unawares, and none of his carefully prepared arguments were at hand" (57). Most of the communication shown is in the form of arguments, illustrated here, "that afternoon was filled with slamming doors, weeping and raised voices'' (56), and here, "in an attempt to heal a rift caused by an argument over her going away to college-" (55). Because of their constant fighting, Barry and Moira are both unable to express their feelings and thoughts adaquetly and end up using anger toward each other as an outlet. Regardless of their constant disagreements, Barry finds himself listening to Moira when she brings up college

However, he goes about this wrong by enrolling them in things without talking to her and checking to see if she is interested. After signing them up for rock climbing, "he hoped she would be pleased. Instead, she was incensed that he had committed her to something without her consent" (54). Barry tries his best to listen to Moira's interests yet misunderstands them, as revealed in this quote: "When he had noticed an advertisement for rock-climbing, he remembered that she had spoken admiringly of classmates who had hiked the West Coast Trail '' (54). Though Barry's intentions are good, he acts rashly in his desperation and signs Moira up for rock climbing despite her not being interested in it. He does, however, show growth, offering "to go climbing with her," and "to his surprise, she’d accepted" (55). Because Barry had asked before committing Moira to something, she had agreed, potentially altering how Barry would go about such things. Barry and Moira's relationship can be described as rocky; the love is there, but they are both missing key components to a strong bond. Miscommunication, fear, and distrust hold them back from having a powerful father-daughter connection, and Barry recognizes this and starts to act accordingly. Parenting can be compared to rock climbing, and in Barry's situation, each handhold represents the trust between them