Then Dad said, “Okay. Stop paddling.”
Sitting in the backseat of the car or at a diner booth, an 11-year-old takes in the banter, the shared family memories, and the inside jokes. This auditory immersion is how they begin to understand their family’s history and their own place in the lineage. What Do They Really Remember?
Our first stop was the deli. Dad told me I could pick any snacks I wanted. I chose the "Mega Full" sub, which had four types of meat and was basically the size of my arm.
"Good morning, kiddo!" my dad said, giving me a warm hug. "Today's the day! We're going to have some serious fun."
Before his father boards the train, he crouches down so he is at eye level with his son. He says, “I’m going to do better. I promise.” The boy does not know if he believes him, but he wants to. He wants to believe that this day is the start of something new, not just a single perfect afternoon that will dissolve into memory. a day with dad and uncle tom by sheila robins 11yo mega full
It all started early in the morning when Dad woke me up with a big hug and a cheerful "Good morning, kiddo! Today's going to be a fantastic day!" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and jumped out of bed, eager to see what the day had in store. Dad told me that Uncle Tom was coming over, and we were going to spend the day together, just the three of us.
As the sun began to set, we headed back to Uncle Tom's truck, tired but exhilarated. I asked, "Can we get ice cream on the way home?"
Sheila Robins was a British author best known for her gentle, psychologically astute short fiction for middle-grade readers. Born in 1932 in Nottinghamshire, Robins worked as a teacher before turning to writing full-time in the late 1960s. Her stories often focused on family relationships, divorce, and the emotional lives of children navigating uncertain circumstances. A Day with Dad and Uncle Tom was first published in Family Ties: Stories for Young Readers (1978) and has since been included in several anthologies of children’s literature. Robins passed away in 2019 at the age of 87, but her stories continue to find new readers each year.
Spending a day with my dad and Uncle Tom was an unforgettable experience that I, Sheila Robins, an 11-year-old, will always treasure. It was a day filled with laughter, adventure, and quality time with two of the most important men in my life. Then Dad said, “Okay
By 8:00 AM, we were loaded into the truck. The drive was the best part. Dad and Uncle Tom have this way of talking where they don't actually finish sentences, but they both know exactly what the other is saying. They argued about a song on the radio, then both started singing it off-key. I sat in the middle, sandwiched between Dad’s plaid flannel and Uncle Tom’s oversized vest, feeling like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
– The sun sets, the “treasure” is finally revealed—a dusty, handwritten recipe for the family’s famous blueberry pancakes. The day ends with the three of them cooking together, laughing about the earlier chaos, and sharing stories about past holidays.
A young child spends a special day with their father and Uncle Tom. The story explores family bonds, fun activities, small conflicts, and how different family members show love in different ways.
: Meeting the characters and establishing their busy daily lives. Transition : The excitement of the surprise weekend trip. What Do They Really Remember
"Ready to catch the big one, Sheila?" he roared, giving me a high-five that nearly knocked me over. The Great Sandwich Disaster
Suddenly, we emerged into a clearing, and my eyes widened in amazement. We were at a beautiful lake, surrounded by towering trees and filled with sparkling water. A wooden boat bobbed on the shore, waiting for us.
What the adults might view as a mundane, boring afternoon is, to the 11-year-old, a treasure trove of new sights, smells, and knowledge.
For lunch we had picnic blankets, crunchy apples, and Dad’s special sandwiches with extra pickles. Uncle Tom taught me how to fold the picnic blanket so the crumbs didn’t escape—he called it “blanket engineering.” We traded bites and stories. Dad told me about the time he tried to build a kite and it flew into Mrs. Weaver’s rosebush. Uncle Tom said he once tried to race a goat and lost, which made me spit out my apple because I laughed so hard.