Eight Parenthood Prompts for Writers

Take it from here and write what happens next.

Mother grocery shopping in the rain. Photo by author.

Looking for inspiration? Try these prompts.

1. Fourteen-year-old Jamie turned to their friend Sam as they walked in the hall. “Wanna go for a ride in my Mom’s new car after school? She’s out of town and Dad’s working late.”

2. What with the funeral over and their mom buried beside their dad, the only task left to the Jamison twins was clearing out the house, the home where they had grown up, where every holiday took place.

3. Sally looked up from the stack of onesies she was folding. “Tom says if this one isn’t a boy, we’ll adopt.”

4. “Teddy, here’s a bag of nickels. Every time you ask, “Are we there yet?’ you need to pay me five cents, a nickel. You can keep what’s left when we get to Grandma’s.”

5. One day — it was in her thirteenth year — a fairy came and stole Cecilia. The naughty little thing left Cecilia 2.0 in her place. Cecilia 2.0 didn’t meet the exact definition of a changeling, but she came close.

6. Joe didn’t mind getting canned. He’d lost a job or two in the past. What he minded was being married with three children and no job.

7. Ten! Today she was ten! Her family watched expectantly as Emily ripped off the wrapping paper from her grandparent’s gift. Her grandfather’s eyes rounded, and his mouth gaped. Emily hoped it was model horse she’s pointed out to him last week. She reached in and smoothed away the tissue paper.

8. The bus rolled in from New Jersey and stopped beside the grimy Port Authority. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since Altoona. She put on her jean jacket and grabbed her small backpack and flute. She’d heard you could busk for change and food in Manhattan.