Welding with Children

The story reinforces the impressionability of children and the important role parents and caregivers play in shaping children’s’ lives. Children grow up to reflect their upbringing, a fact made evident by Bruton’s daughters, whose life decisions link back to their childhood. Moreover, children require a strong foundation, and the failure to provide one can lead to consequences later in life. Mr. Fordlyson admonishes Bruton to “deal directly with those kids” (14), which reinforces the importance of playing an active role in children’s lives.

However, Bruton struggles to grapple with this lesson in the story. Though Bruton admits that his daughters’ current situation is partly his fault, he does not know what he should have done differently. His opinions regarding parenting and fatherhood are filled with gender biases and misconceptions. He admits, for instance, he did not teach his daughters about religion as he assumed they would “pick it up” from his wife (7). His view reflects the chauvinist notion that it is the wife’s job to teach children about morals while the father works. Bruton also tries to evade responsibility by blaming cable TV for his daughters’ beliefs, claiming that his girls grew up “watching cable and videos every night, and that’s where they got their view of the world” (7).