THE NARRATIVE ARC
A Fourteen-Year Surprise Had an Unexpected Impact on My Sons
I turned a tradition into a loving gift
I shouldn’t have been nervous, but I was. I’ve given speeches on stage in front of thousands of people, performed stand-up to rowdy, distracted audiences, and been interviewed on live TV. But for some reason, I was more nervous on this occasion. Even though the audience consisted of my twin eighteen-year-old sons and my wife.
Why was I so nervous?
I was about to present a project that had been fourteen years in the making, a project that meant so much to me — it symbolized family, traditions, loneliness, heartache, and bonds. The living room was quiet, save for the hum of the laptop and the soft rustle of anticipation. With my heart pumping, I hit play. Three heads turned towards the TV screen while I stood transfixed, watching my audience for their reactions.
Parenting twins is hard, especially when they’re young and refuse to sleep. While many parents cherish those early months, I found them exhausting. Don’t get me wrong — I loved my sons, Charlie and Thomas, and I’m sure they loved me. But what they didn’t love was sleeping.
For the first three years of their lives, there was not a single night when both of them slept…
