If there's a fire

Prolouge

When a child is abandoned, they grow up only knowing the feeling of abandonment.

When a child is spoiled, they grow up only knowing the feeling of being greedy and spoiled.

Children who've been abandoned don't act like those who were spoiled, and the opposite is also true.

Here, you have a curly haired boy crying on the playground. The teacher told him he couldn't have three lollipops- he could have only two. So, he sobs- "But I wanted three! Give me three!"

Then, you have the quiet kid, who never said a word, sitting behind the slide so no one saw him. He never had a lollipop.

He did not cry.

Kids who grow up spoiled will most likely be that way when they get older- they feel entitled to things. They feel that because they were always given what they wanted, that shouldn't change. They're wrong, of course.

Kids who grow up after being abandoned feel that they deserve nothing. They grow up feeling as if they weren't good enough. They feel that it was their fault. They're wrong, too, of course.

     Thomas Jefferson grew up with a doctor and a lawyer for parents- he was an only child, he was their only precious son. He was given anything and everything he wanted. But as a kid, it was never enough. He grew up spoiled. And, a child who is spoiled grows up only knowing what it feels like to be spoiled.

     James Madison grew up without a mother from the age of three. His father worked three jobs, and nothing was enough to keep them on their feet. He wore whatever his father didn't- he worked three jobs during the summer, one during school. It was all he could do to stay alive with a father who couldn't even afford to take care of himself. He grew up abandoned and alone. And, a child who was abandoned grows up only knowing what it feels like to be abandoned.