No

Rain,
No Flowers
A short story dedicated to children of parental mental illness;
to promoting positive coping methods;
to reassuring children of their success & self.
By: Ray Tischio

It was a rainy, chilly day at Brookside Middle School,

as Zack walked into his sixth grade class with a group
of his friends. He was nervous for an upcoming test
in Math class, but like he always did, he studied the
night before to prepare. For some reason, he was
feeling a bit more stressed than normal. He wasn't
quite sure what was bothering him. Was it the math
test? Was it his other schoolwork? Zack was
involved with his school soccer team and leadership
club. He had a lot going on, but lately he had more
worries than usual.
As Zack arrived to class, he took off his heavy
winter coat, chatting with some of his classmates
before the bell rang.
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Days passed, and Zack was feeling

increasingly unsettled. He narrowed his worries
down to the real root of his problem. It wasn't school
that was stressing him out, and he was confident it
wasn't soccer or leadership either. Dad had always
had somewhat of a bad temper, but lately, his moods
were back and forth. Zack didn't know what made
him angry or upset, and he wondered if it was
something he was doing that was causing his dad to
act like this. Every day on his bus ride home from
school, Zack wondered how his dad would act when
he got home. Being at home wasn't the easiest,
especially when his parents fought, which sadly, was
becoming more and more frequent. He considered

asking his dad what was wrong, but was afraid he

might explode in anger, as he did with many other
little things. Home life was becoming hard, which
didn't make school all that much better. Sometimes,
he found himself zoning out during class, thinking,
"What's happening to my family? Is this my fault?"
Especially, Zack felt alone. He didn't recall any of his
friends ever mentioning this happening to them. He
couldn't tell them, because he was afraid of being
judged by his peers. He felt even lonelier because he
was hiding this from even his closest friends. He just
wanted to be "normal." Zack hoped these problems
would just simply go away.
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However, his worries didn't disappear like he

hoped they magically would. He began seeing less

and less of his dad, and when he was home, he didn't
talk to Zack much. His parents fought, which caused
his mother to be upset a lot of the time. He didn't
know what was happening, and felt left out of his
own family. Should I talk to someone about this? he
thought, not even knowing who could help him.
Would they tell his parents? Would they judge him?
These troubles worried Zack all throughout his day,
making it difficult to focus in math class and play
well on the soccer field. Hanging out with his friends
wasn't the same either because he knew nobody
could understand.
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Finally, one day Zack had done enough

 worrying. He gathered courage to take a trip to the

guidance counselor's office down the hall, despite not
knowing how anyone would respond. Zack was
nervous. He had never been to the guidance office,
besides for changing his class schedule. Would they
listen to him?
Nervously, he creaked open the door. Im
here to see my guidance counselor, Zack said. Of
course, right this way! said a smiling lady as she
looked up from browsing through her files, and led
Zack down a tiny hall. Here is Ms. Anderson's
office, she said, opening the door for him. Shell be
happy to help you. He felt nervous of what they
would talk about, and he wondered if she would

understand at all.
Ms. Anderson started asking Zack how his
day had been, how his classes were, and what his
favorite subjects were. Before he knew it, Zack had
forgotten about his worries. Ms. Anderson seemed
truly nice, and Zack found himself surprised at how
casual and calming their conversation was. After
talking for a bit about his favorite sports and
hobbies, she asked, "so Zack, what is bothering you
today? Is there anything you'd like to talk about?
Less nervous than before, Zack began explaining
how things had been at home, and how they had
gotten worse over the last few months. He told Ms.
Anderson about his dad, and how he was confused
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about why he acted the way he did. Zack even told

her about how he felt alone. "Is this my fault? None
of my friends have ever had to deal with this, and
they wouldn't understand if I ever told them." After
explaining what was on his mind, Zack looked down,
having no idea what Ms. Anderson would say. Well
Zack, firstly, I want to thank you for coming here.
I'm sure it took a lot of courage to come to an office
you've never been to before, and to trust to tell me
what's been upsetting you at home. Confusion is
normal, sadness is normal, even anger is normal. Its
always important that you have someone you can
talk to, and I want you to know that my door will
always be open for you.

She continued on to tell Zack that no matter how his

dad seemed to be acting towards him, nothing was
his fault. "I promise that your dad loves you just as
much, and that he always will. This has nothing to
do with that." Zack felt a lot of relief, hearing that he
hadn't done anything to cause this. Well, is there
any way I can fix it?
Even though we may want things back to
normal, we have to understand that we arent able to
fix it. Things will get better though, I promise you
that. Time will heal things, but you have to focus on
you! You did not cause any of this, and you have no
responsibility to fix it.
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This made sense to Zack. He agreed with Ms.

Anderson, believing that things would get better

someday, but he had a lot going on in school. His job
was to keep up good grades, do well in sports, and
stay involved with his other activities; not try to fix
things that were out of his control. This triggered
another question, "will I be able to still do well in
class, and play soccer the same?
You brought up a wonderful point, Zack.
However, I want you to understand that you have
just as much of an ability to succeed in academics,
and later in your future. You do very well in school!
Your teachers have said great things about you. I
believe you have a bright future ahead of you, and
that you always will; despite any issues at home.

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Zack smiled at the thought of his teachers liking him,

and he felt glad Ms. Anderson thought he could
continue to be successful in school. He felt
determined to keep up all the work he had been
doing. Ms. Anderson, but what about my friends,
will I still be able to hang out with them?
Zack, of course! Please remember, keep being
a kid. That is so important. Even though you may
feel alone, or you may feel that nobody else ever
deals with similar things, I want to make sure you
know you are certainly not alone. In fact, near five
million children in our country are in a situation like
yours.
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Really? Zack remarked. For a long time, he

had felt alone in his home issues. Now, he realized

maybe these things were more common than he
thought. Maybe he wasnt so weird after all.
Yes, really. Oh! Before you go back to class,
there is something I want you to take with you. Mrs.
Anderson handed Zack a book, smiling, I hope this
helps if you ever feel alone or confused. Its about a
kid, near your age, going through some of the same
things as you, if you get a chance to read it." Zack
gently took the book, and placed it in his backpack.
Thank you Ms. Anderson, for everything. Talking
with you made me feel much better.

Im glad it helped, youre welcome here

anytime. Even though we may not feel it, these

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difficulties make us into stronger people later in life.

Many positive things come from the not-so-great
things. Also remember Zack, sometimes, we have to
go through the bad to get to the better. That might
be hard to believe, but think of it this way, Ms.
Anderson looked around, trying to find a simpler
way to phrase it. The rain, for example! We think of
the rain as gloomy, or dreary, and it might ruin our
plans for the day. Yet without the rain, there
wouldnt be flowers, right? In fact, we wouldn't be
able to play in puddles, or look at the beautiful
rainbows, either. The same thing is true with the
things we struggle with in life. Without them, we
wouldn't be able to see the wonderful things.

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So Zack, the next time it rains, I want you to

remember the good things that will come out of it,
even if we dont see them at first. No matter how
hard it rains, focus on the flowers.
He thought about it, smiling. He thanked Ms.
Anderson again, and began walking back to English
class. He realized he felt relieved after getting his
thoughts off of his chest for once, and he enjoyed
talking with Ms. Anderson. He giggled,
remembering how nervous he had been. There was
nothing to be afraid of! Zack was glad he now had
someone he trusted to talk to about what was going
on at home.
Zack focused on his schoolwork, and also

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looked forward to hanging out with friends and

having fun, too. He went to Ms. Andersons office
when he felt like it, when he was sad, or even when
he was happy. When he went, he didnt always have
to talk about his dad. Sometimes, he just talked about
how school and sports were going, and how he was
doing. He enjoyed their conversation. Zack found
himself feeling much better after a few weeks. Even
though he hadnt understood at first, he began to
think about the flowers instead of the rain.
A while later one day after class, a girl named
Maggie from Zacks history class stopped him in the
hallway. Do you know where Ms. Andersons office
is? she asked. Zack noticed she looked upset. He
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immediately remembered not knowing who Ms.

Anderson was, or where her office was, or if he
should go. Yeah of course, Ill show you where her
office is, just follow me! Zack kindly replied. Zack
led Maggie through the halls. Just before reaching
Ms. Andersons office he finally asked her, Is
something bothering you? He could tell Maggie was
hesitant to answer, but finally she answered quietly,
Everything is alright its just, my mom is different
lately, and it causes home to not be the same.
Zack was astonished! This was the first time
he heard someone with a similar situation to his. He
felt badly for Maggie because he knew what she was
going through, but he was glad he could relate. He

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told her some things about his dad, hoping she

would realize she wasnt alone, like he once thought
he was. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head.
Oh! Here I have something I want you to keep.
Zack dug through his backpack, and found the book
Ms. Anderson had given to him on the first day he
went to see her. Hopefully this helps as much as it
helped me! I think youll like it. Maggie smiled at
Zacks kindness, and at the fact that someone
understood her. She took the book, replying
gratefully, Thank you so much Zack! I will definitely
read it. She turned into the guidance counselors
office. Zack felt glad to help someone, especially
someone in a similar situation to his own.
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A week or so later, Zack saw Maggie again

after English. She stopped him in the hallway,
thanking him for all his help the other day. I feel
much better now. Im glad I listened to you about
going to see Ms. Anderson.
Zack and Maggie became good friends during
their sixth grade year, helping each other along the
way. Things got better for the both of them,
especially after talking to each other and Ms.
Anderson.
They kept in mind everything Ms. Anderson
had told them, about concentrating on school,
activities, and friends, and about not being alone.
Sometimes when he felt down, he remembered

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something Ms. Anderson said, Remember Zack, we

have to go through the bad to get to the better. More
importantly, he remembered the flowers. He
understood now, a lot of great things came from the
bad. For example, his friendship with Maggie, and
even the things he learned from Ms. Anderson.
Without those seemingly negative things Zack was
going through, maybe he would have never met
Maggie, or never learned to gather enough courage
to visit Ms. Anderson. No rain, no flowers.

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Ray Tischio's Senior Project

Dedicated to children of parental mental illness;
to promoting positive coping methods;
to reassuring children of their success & self.
Thank you for reading!

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For all works cited and more information on parental

mental illness, or information on my senior project, visit:
raytischiolsa.weebly.com.

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