It was an accident, but sometimes life throws you a curve ball that you just have to find a solution for. My son was not coping well during the pandemic, compounded by the loss of his grandmother (my mother). Having tried many things to cheer him up, it was a story that started that flicker of hope. One evening he said he didn’t want a story and just wanted to go to sleep but having read him a story virtually every bedtime since he was born, I knew I had to try something. So, I said I would try and write a story for him. That is how it all started

The pandemic was difficult to understand for everyone, not just my family, and I was working away in Australia when I got a call to pack my bags immediately, and fly home as more countries closed their borders. Both the wife and I were able to carry on working so in that respect, I suppose for us individually, the mental burden was not so great. However, and in my opinion, it was children who suffered the most. Suddenly, there was no school, no playing with friends, no sports and the constant noise of suffering. This really did have an impact on my son and was made worse when his grandmother passed due to cancer, during lockdown.

If said I had a magic solution I’d be lying, it was hard, and I had to fail many times before something worked. I’m just a dad who hated seeing a child so sad. I had to keep trying. It’s also fair to say that I didn’t intentionally try to insert subconscious messages into the stories, it just happened. Having not written a story since I was at school, “Connor the Cornflake” was created by adding as many things as possible that my son could relate to and seeking to create a character with his name so he might be more invested in it. “Toy Story” is one of my favorite films and has so many hidden messages so perhaps I took inspiration from that.

My reward for writing “Connor the Cornflake,” and the arrival of our best furry friend, who he named “Sparky” was that my son developed a desire to write something. When school returned properly, he took up a creative writing after school club and created the original concept for “The Adventures of Connor and Sparky.” He came home one day with this pencil written story, a big smile on his face, and I knew I had to embrace this creativity and see if I could work with it for him. When I finished, he read it and gave it the thumbs up so as it was his original creation, I made sure he stayed involved by making all the decisions regarding illustrations and front cover design.

The foundation of the story is based on real-life events. How my son felt during the pandemic, the sadness, confusion and sense of isolation from all the things he enjoyed; football (soccer), friends and just the ability to go and get ice cream. Then along came a furry friend who he could share his emotions with without receiving a form of explanation about things adults didn’t even really understand. As the bond grows, and with the pair now snuggling up at bedtime, they drift off into a dreamy space adventure. One which includes an intergalactic space race around the ‘Saturn Ringway Circuit’ where they need to show resilience and overcome challenges to reach the ‘slime line’ finish.

How wacky can your imagination go? Imagine ‘Janes Bond’ mixed with ‘The Avengers’ sprinkled with a bit of wrestling and some rather different breakfast cereals, and you might just be getting close. If you strip it back into reality and forget the superhero cereal aspect where the ‘Mighty Variety’ team, try to stop the plot of a rather angry ‘Colonel Cereal’ who is trying to create a world of boring breakfast by scaring children with his mad robotic army; then the story is fundamentally about being different and that it is OK to be different as everyone has unique abilities. It's about working as a team, being kind, overcoming adversity, problem solving and accepting the qualities of others as we are not all the same.

As a volunteer youth football (soccer) coach, and as anyone else involved in any form of work with children would testify to, children develop in their own way, at differing times. Children are not all the same, they have different attributes and to nurture individuals may require something specific to get the best out of them, or to help them focus. Even as adults we are all different. I would never understand quantum physics, but I may be able to do something else, it does not mean that I am better or worse than someone else, it just means that my qualities are different and, do you know something, that is absolutely fine.

The world is a scary place. Children are consistently subjected to the noise and visions of the world around them. Disease, war, poverty, crime, drugs, gangs, the list goes on, but they should be shielded from this and have a safe space to just be kids. If the stories, no matter how bizarre they may be, can just create a smile on a child’s face, give them a moment to escape the realities of all these negative aspects, and just let them slip into a world of imagination and wonder then at least that is a start. A happy child is a positive child, let’s give them a chance to build a positive future.

It is hard but you know your child better than anyone else. Advice is great and no matter how many books you read, or people you speak to, there is no magic wand. If there was, we would all have one. I’m no expert either, I’m just a simple guy who persisted in trying to find an answer. One who bought various books and tried the exercises but, they didn’t give that flicker of hope inside my own child. I failed so many times, but didn’t give up, I went through all the things he liked and eventually it was a bedtime story that created that magic moment. You know your child, believe in yourself and don’t give up trying, you’re stronger than you think.

The first thing to consider before looking at pets is, can we give them the care and attention they need? Pets, like children, need to be looked after, to become part of the family and are for the long term. Dogs need to feel safe and loved. In return, they will help provide that bit of emotional security. For my son, the bond he created with “Sparky” enabled him to express his emotions in a way he felt more comfortable. It gave him something to snuggle when he felt sad, to play ball with when he needed to let off steam and an outlet that just listens when he is trying to work out in his mind something he may struggle to understand or communicate.

My writing began by accident, to help my son through a difficult time in his life so when I embarked on this journey, my sole purpose was to create something he would understand. In this regard, I would say that my writing style leans towards the childish. Children respond in different ways, and how you communicate with them will greatly affect the outcomes you seek. Some want pictures, others prefer in-depth explanation, whilst some just want to try things for themselves with minimal guidance. Whatever you are trying to communicate, it needs to be presented at a level they understand. That is what I have tried to do with my writing, by trying to think like a child.

My personal favorite is Thor. Whilst there’s a complex story behind the character, unlike others who became a superhero by accident, Thor was already a god with power. However, because of his actions, he gets banished to earth to find humility and needs to learn before becoming worthy again of the powers he once held. This journey leads to the overcoming of personal adversity, an understanding the is no given right to something, it needs to be earned. There are other learnings within the story such as the development of compassion for others and of course teamwork, as he becomes an ‘Avenger,’ a team with unique individual qualities. He also looks pretty cool too, flying through the air swinging his hammer

I was 16 when “Toy Story” came out, but it is probably the one film that really sticks in my mind as being something for both children and adults. Themes of potential rejection, friendship, adversity, resilience and bravery, mixed with hints of adult humor. As a kid, my favorite book was the “BFG” by Roald Dahl as it whisks children off to a world of giants and ‘snozzcumbers.’ Forget the scary child snatching element, it has messaging of things like bullying but is intertwined with imagination, adventure and funny elements. In a way, I have subconsciously ended up trying to do something similar but more by accident than intent as my writing started with the sole purpose of helping my son through a difficult time.

It’s vitally important for a child that they can relate to something and be able to express themselves. The question is interesting because a child probably wouldn’t word it that way. However, describing a story in their own words perhaps enables them to reach the same conclusion. They may say that the characters never gave up or, how a friend helped someone to not be sad anymore. Irrespective of how a child reaches the conclusion of resilience and hope, if we can get them to process their emotions, and feelings, in a way they can communicate and understand, the easier it becomes for the likes of parents, teachers and care givers to help nurture and support them further.

I guess it’s about trying to get children back to a safe zone, one of imagination, creativity and wonder, where they are more comfortable at processing things. When they are born, all children are a blank canvas and overcome challenges all the time, are persistent, resilient and create the most amazing adventures through play. Learning to walk, talk, count, stack blocks and everything else they learn to do from an early age shows that they automatically develop these traits. But, as they get older and are influenced by the environment around them, things may get more complex, especially emotionally, so in my opinion it’s about trying to get them somewhere safe where they can work a problem in a manner they can relate to more easily. In this case, a story.