Poor Daddy
Encyclopedia
Poor Daddy is a short story written by Robert A. Heinlein
. Unlike his usual output, it is not science fiction
, but is intended as a modern story for young girls. It was printed in the magazine Calling All Girls in 1949, and reprinted in the posthumous collection Requiem
.
The story is similar in style and tone to Heinlein's better-known story, "The Menace from Earth
".
. Maureen's father is an unworldly university professor, while her mother is a practical polymath
who, amongst other accomplishments, designed and built the family home.
Maureen's father goes on a fishing trip. On his return, he announces that ice dancing is a simple matter of applied physics, and that anybody can do it. A competent skater herself, Maureen watches in horror as he puts on skates and ventures out on the ice with a partner. As he approaches the critical first turn, she prepares herself, as she puts it, to "identify the body". However, her father negotiates the hazard and finishes the dance, not without a few wobbles.
Later, Maureen announces to her father that she has solved the puzzle. His "fishing trip" was really a crash course in ice dancing. He could not stand to see his wife dancing with other, younger men, but was too proud to learn at home. Maureen indicates that she could, given sufficient motivation, keep the secret to herself. A pair of famous-name skates is her price for silence.
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
. Unlike his usual output, it is not science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, but is intended as a modern story for young girls. It was printed in the magazine Calling All Girls in 1949, and reprinted in the posthumous collection Requiem
Requiem (book)
Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master is a retrospective on Robert A. Heinlein , after his death, edited by Yoji Kondo.- Table of Contents :...
.
The story is similar in style and tone to Heinlein's better-known story, "The Menace from Earth
The Menace From Earth
"The Menace From Earth" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1957.-Plot summary:The "menace" of the title is a beautiful woman tourist who visits the Moon colony and is assigned a young guide named Holly, a 15 year old girl and aspiring starship designer who is...
".
Plot summary
Maureen, or "Puddin'", a strong-willed, intelligent teenage girl, observes the interplay between her parents over the mother's new-found enthusiasm for ice dancingIce dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
. Maureen's father is an unworldly university professor, while her mother is a practical polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
who, amongst other accomplishments, designed and built the family home.
Maureen's father goes on a fishing trip. On his return, he announces that ice dancing is a simple matter of applied physics, and that anybody can do it. A competent skater herself, Maureen watches in horror as he puts on skates and ventures out on the ice with a partner. As he approaches the critical first turn, she prepares herself, as she puts it, to "identify the body". However, her father negotiates the hazard and finishes the dance, not without a few wobbles.
Later, Maureen announces to her father that she has solved the puzzle. His "fishing trip" was really a crash course in ice dancing. He could not stand to see his wife dancing with other, younger men, but was too proud to learn at home. Maureen indicates that she could, given sufficient motivation, keep the secret to herself. A pair of famous-name skates is her price for silence.
Trivia
- Heinlein and his wife Ginny were avid ice dancers themselves.
- Heinlein liked the Maureen character so much he used her personality for the heroine of his last juvenile novel, Podkayne of MarsPodkayne of MarsPodkayne of Mars is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialised in Worlds of If , and published in hardcover in 1963...
. Podkayne's multi-talented mother is also quite similar to Maureen's. - "Maureen" is also the name of another Heinlein heroineMaureen Johnson (Heinlein character)Maureen Johnson Smith Long , most often referred to as Maureen Johnson, is a fictional character in several science fiction novels written by Robert A. Heinlein. She is the mother, lover and eventual wife of Lazarus Long, the longest-living member of Heinlein's fictional Howard Families...
.