porquePorkybecause

Little Ryan had always been a perfect angel, even during those supposedly terrible twos. The trouble began when he turned 4. It started small with little temper tantrums and messes. Ryan's antics got worse and worse, until finally his parents called in a psychiatrist to help.

"Whenever he does something bad, he says it's because Porky ordered him to. We want this "Porky" character gone from his life. You understand, don't you?" asked Ryan's father.

"The mind of a child is a complex thing, Mr. Welsh. It will take some time and patience to understand where this destructive behavior comes from." replied the psychiatrist.

"I'm not paying you big bucks for slow results. I want this taken care of immediately!" he replied. His wife agreed.

Ryan was waiting in the living room trying not to fidget. He seemed well behaved enough, but looks could be deceiving.

"Hello there, Ryan. I'm Dr. Reeves. I'm here because you and Porky have been causing some trouble lately."

Ryan sat and listened quietly but didn't reply.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to talk about some pictures and stories your parents have given me of the things that happened because Porky told you to do something." said the doctor. He sat by the child and held up the first picture; it was a destroyed bathroom. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

"I did that!" exclaimed Ryan.

"Very good. I'm glad you're admitting to it. But why?"

"Because Porky said I'd get a new toy if I made pictures with Mommy's makeup!"

"And did you get a new toy?"

"Yes! Because Porky made me do that."

"You did? Can I see this toy?"

Ryan ran to his room and brought back a shiny train.

"You got this for playing in your mother's makeup? How?" The doctor asked.

"We went to the store and I cried for it." replied Ryan. "Porky promised because he knew it would happen."

"Okay. What about this one? When you put your father's suit on the dog?"

"I did it because Porky said I'd go to Grandma's house, and I did!"

"And this one?"

"I dumped flour all over the kitchen because Porky said I'd get pizza if I did. It was pepperoni."

"I see. And how about this one?"

"I flushed all the keys down the toilet because Porky said we wouldn't go on the trip if I did."

It quickly became clear that Porky existed because Ryan's parents were unintentionally rewarding their boy for behaving badly. When they corrected their error, "Porky" disappeared.

silkcherryblossoms
2012-01-02