As a boy, I loved reading Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. The love that Danny’s father had for him, the gentle way in which Danny’s dad cared for him, and that they lived in an old gypsy caravan all seemed wonderfully comforting to me.
Looking back, I suppose that I dreamt myself as Danny and wished that I might have helped my dad fix cars in the shop. (Anyone who knows how clueless I am with anything even remotely mechanical will appreciate the irony of this memory.)
Recently, I was lucky enough to re-read this beloved story by one of the greatest story-tellers of the 20th century. And whilst I still was amazed by the craftsmanship of the writing style and by the wonderfully gentle way in which Roald Dahl weaves a tale, I have to say that I was a bit more concerned about the parenting skills of Danny’s father than I was after my first read.
What kind of father teaches his son that it’s okay to steal?
What kind of father leaves his nine year-old-son alone for the night to go on a crime spree?
What kind of father co-conspires with his nine-year-old son to commit what must surely be felony grand theft?
Surely, DCFS would have something to say about Danny’s dad and his parenting techniques.
Liam – I am sure DCFS could tell you that the type of father that does the things listed above is the type of father that lives in a trailer behind the car repair place. With your past you should know this as well!
Hi Mark – Well, let’s leave my past out of this conversation, thank you very much! Ha-ha.
I do wonder if child protection services would have taken Danny from his father if they were aware of their living conditions.
As a former child protection worker myself, I can tell you that, based on what I read in the blog today (NOTE: I HAVE NEVER READ THIS BOOK) CPS in Wisconsin would not have taken the child away:
1) Child is fed
2) Child is clothed
3) At 9, Child can “fend” for himself
….in theory anyway!
@ Meaghan
So, you can teach your child to steal and train him in the tricks of poaching, just so long as you feed and clothe the child?
Good thing his dad is teaching him how to procure food, so indeed he can “fend for himself”!
Well, as I mentioned in a related email to Conall earlier today, there have been instances of parents and children committing crime together that have made the news here lately. However, those children will not become involved in CPS — just right to the Department of Corrections.
While I haven’t read this Roald Dahl book, I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t be funny – a parent telling his boy how to steal. Makes me want to read all the more. 😉
I did read a few of his children’s stories, but one I read, while still in my 12th or 13th year, was “My Uncle Oswald”, definitely NOT a children’s book!
In the book, Uncle Oswald discovers a most powerful aphrodisiac and conspires with a beautiful accomplice to collect — umm, how to put this politely? — seeds from world’s geniuses like Einstein and Picasso, and sell them to rich women to impregnate themselves.
Far ahead of his time he was, I must say. 😉
A must-read for a good laugh.
@ CheekyMonkey: That book sounds like it was written by Nostradamus. Or perhaps Roald Dahl was simply commenting on where he thought human fertilisation practices were heading …