My dad is a Musician

Season 1 Chapter 1

"Leon, would you like pasta for dinner?" I stopped cleaning the kitchen counter and looked up at him. 

The boy with hair as black as mine smiled back at me and nodded. His eyes were sparkling.

"Would you like chicken in it?"

He shaked his head. His expressions changed suddenly from being delighted earlier to now being dispirited.

As I thought, he doesn't prefer meat or seafood a lot. He must be either a vegetarian or a vegan.

"Just the sauce and the veggies?" I confirmed.

He nodded, his expressions changed again. His emotions really show on his face. He is looking forward to the meal. He is so cute when he looks happy.

"I will make some sides too."

He shaked his head again, which changed his expressions too. He seems dejected again. It's like moving forward one step and then coming back three steps.

It looks more serious this time though, because he was barely holding back his tears. I did hear children his age are moody but…

"Why does it upset you so much?" I asked him, a tinge of irritation in my voice. This boy never eats properly. I went to him and stood near the sofa with my arms crossed.

I am a bit annoyed but I can't get myself to say anything to him because he is teary-eyed. All the parenting books and blogs that I read feel useless now because they don't tell exactly what needs to be done in such a unique situation like this.

"The doctors have said that you need to increase your food portions." I tried to reason with him.

"The medicines that they have put you on would require you to expend a lot of energy for recovering internally. You are underweight as it is, plus you are on medications."

He didn't seem fazed by my lecture as he kept looking in another direction. This is irritating me more. Why are kids like this? How do I make him understand?

"You would have way more complications to your health if you don't eat properly. Is that clear?"

I hope telling him the consequences makes him at least eat properly. I know it's wrong to tell the kids the consequences if he doesn't do the thing he was asked to and that one should rather tell the kid why something needs to be done but it's not like I am going to take care of him for a lifetime.

For now, I just need to focus on making him better. I hope this does the magic.

But my assumption was wrong as he just kept looking away from me, and was pouting.

Oh no… even he is annoyed now. I sighed and crouched down. This is not going to work. All that time I spent on those 'parenting' books and 'dealing with juveniles children' kind of articles and videos seem to have gone waste now.

Moreover there's just so many of them, I don't seem to recall or have the patience to use any of them right now. I should take time in reading them again rather than mugging all of them up thinking of the situations that can occur between me and him in the future.

Still, how much will those books help me? He is someone who has not been raised in a normal environment. Obviously, the 'normal' tactics won't work.

I need to use another tactic. I crouched down and I put my one palm on the sofa chair to support my body and not fall down and used my spare hand to gently turn his face to look at mine.

"Leon?" I asked in a calm voice. I have to be as calm as possible. "I really want you to recover properly. You want to start walking on your own and go to that castle or just go out alone in general too, right?"