Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

EXIT GUIDE

warning: this is a long author's note. it's me explaining myself and the book a bit, so don't feel pressured to read. this is just there for those who are interested. author q&a at end.

So, you've just finished reading the longest fricking fan fiction ever. Not to mention, a fan fiction in which the main antagonist of a third of the novel (the step-father) and the overall antagonist who becomes an overall protagonist (the mom)...

...b o t h   d o n 't   h a v e   n a m e s.

At first, it was because all the suggestions for their names included swear words and I wasn't going to put them in the book and add to the obscenities...

...but then it became my own game to see how long I could go without giving a major character (or t w o) a name. Apparently, I can go about 150 chapters - experiment successful! So while all the accessory characters from a flower to a stray kitten have proper names...two of the most important people in the book don't.

Why? Because I'm that kind of author. You've had 150 chapters to figure that out for yourself a bit.

But in all seriousness, I wanted to take this chapter to address all my final thoughts on writing and finishing this book.

When I started writing this, it was supposed to be the fluffy book you all remember from the early chapters. I knew that the mom was going to leave, but nothing past that had crossed my mind. It was supposed to be funny. It was supposed to be fairly sporadic and without a running plot line. It was supposed to be fairly short.

Well, it didn't really end up being a comedy, it ended up having a complex plot line, and it ended up being 150 chapters.

Part of the reason for that is because of the huge amount of support from readers I began receiving fairly early on. People liked the book, so I began to spend more time on it.

But then when the characters started developing their personal conflicts and many readers began to relate, I realized that I could use this book to say a lot more. It could still be funny sometimes or sad sometimes, but it could be a book with a message, a real life message that everyone can use.

So, if you didn't catch it in the previous 150 chapters, here it is:

The relationship you have with your family is one of the most important relationships in your life.

I personally believe in cultivating a strong relationship with God as well, but family is a very special thing. You're born into one. You don't pick it. You don't get to choose the family you like, or the family that's pretty, or the family that's talented, or the family that understands you perfectly. The family you're born into is the family you get.

I know that it doesn't always work out for reasons outside of our control. Not everyone makes a good parent. There are abusive parents, negligent parents, domineering parents...the list goes on and on. If you are in danger being in the custody of your parents, that's a problem that you need help for.

But if your parents don't endanger you - if maybe you guys just "don't get along" or "don't see eye-to-eye" or "don't connect much" - those are things you can try to fix. I'm not saying that you won't make great friends or become close with other relatives who are willing to provide for you and take care of you, but many parents would sacrifice the world for their children whether they "get along" or not. Where there is love, there is a way. It takes time and patience, but there is a way.

One of the key factors in this book that helped improve the characters' relationships was this: communication. Yeah, maybe your parents don't understand you completely because it's been a while since they were kids and you're going through something they didn't have to go through - but if you don't communicate with them about it, you can't get through to them. If parents could read our minds - wouldn't that be amazing? But while our parents are great, they can't read your thoughts, and most of the time, they won't know exactly how you feel or what you want to say unless you actually come out and say it. And you may be tempted to yell or scream at them if you feel frustrated or overwhelmed, but try to find a respectful way to voice your opinion. Your parents deserve respect.