Vernon: I dunno...we've only been parents fer a little over a year and a half now...Wait..."Mr. and Misses Hunter.."
Dawn: Oh, I just assumed that was a typo. But yes, that makes much more sense. I was about to suggest going to Audrey and Dorian for advice on such a weighty email.
Vernon: Well if anyone's qualified to take a crack at it, it'd be my Ma and Pa. They survived a household o' seven pups fer more than two decades, so I'd think they'd have a purty good idea on how to handle stuff like this better than us.
Audrey: Well, first I wanna thank y'all dearly fer the compliments about our pups.
Dorian: Considerin' y'all didn't make an exception fer Yuri when y'all mentioned up raising 'fantastic pups', it means we musta done somethin' right. *Chuckles*
Audrey: Well, I'd be lyin' iffin' I said we never worried about him...
Dorian: I was mostly worried about him endin' up on the wrong side of the bars...thankfully I was able to channel that rough and tumble aspect of his personality into police work while he was growin' up...
Audrey: Enough Darlin', he may be listenin'! Don't make our pup feel bad about himself now.
Dorian: Just tellin' it how it was at the time...the boy's come along way since then, and I'm really proud of him...I'm real proud of all you boys.
Vernon: Thanks Pa.
Audrey: When it comes to your oldest son...I....well I wouldn't want to run to the therapist just yet. Even mentionin' that might make him feel worse in his current state, as I hate to admit it, but there's still a big stigma when it comes ta' needin' therapy fer anythin', especially when yer young and insecure enough already...
Dorian: Yeah, a lotta' young fella's and ladies feel going to therapy is like...admittin' bein' damaged, or a weirdo...it's a hit to their confidence...which is real er...permeable when yer young. Like a soap bubble...one wrong move and it bursts.
Audrey: Ta' me, it sounds like the boy is just...takin' on a bit too much fer his own good, even if he isn't aware he's doin' it. It might be good to have a sit down with him, and talk to him about it bein' okay iffin' he wants to cut somethin' out of his life fer a while, or at least dial some of the time spent on such thangs fer the sake of his physical and mental well-bein'.
Dorian: I'd make sure to stress it's ultimately up to him what he does, but that you'll support him regardless. And iffin' he's still resistant, just tell him yer merely askin' him to think it over. It seems like yer boy has placed himself under a lotta pressure, so y'all don't want to end up dumpin' more on him. That's why reinforcin' that yer merely askin' him to think about things instead of tryin' to force his paw is yer best bet...I think.
Audrey: When it comes to yer youngest, well...to be honest, I mean...in the grand scheme o' things poor grades don't exactly mark y'all so badly fer life that y'all can't turn it around in college er' a technical school. It does strike me as odd that yer boy says the class he's failin' is one of his favorite subjects. Somethin' tells me he's not tellin' y'all the whole truth there.
Dorian: He may be tellin' ya'll that cause he believes it's important to y'all that he likes that subject...afraid that...er' showin' interest in somethin' else might...make y'all think less of him. The gods know I sorta...fell into that trap myself.
Audrey: It might be worth an earnest talk askin' yer boy iffin' he's 'really keen on the subject', and reassurin' him y'all won't think less of him iffin' he isn't. Sometimes y'all don't realize goin' into somethin' that it ain't as fun as y'all thought it would be.
Dorian: As fer his friends...that's tricky. Iffin' y'all start advisin' him to turn away from 'em, or come down hard on him seein' them at all, it stands a good chance of drivin' him toward them.
Audrey: Again, a lighter touch might be good for this sorta situation. Just tellin' him to be mindful of iffin' a situation feels...uneasy to him, and encouraging to go with his gut iffin' something feels wrong. Reassure him that y'all know he's a good pup, and he's got a good head on his shoulders. Iffin' his friends are bad enough, he'll eventually drift away from 'em. If not, then that troublin' behavior should start to even out.
Dorian: As fer how yer boys get along...that's the trickiest of all really.
Audrey: Some pups grow up real tight, and some...well that competitive wolf streak might get in the way and drive 'em apart.
Dorian: I'd say y'all made the right call puttin' their rooms farther apart. It's...somethin' we honestly shoulda' done with Yuri and Vern growin' up.
Audrey: Yeah...I...I mean, I'll admit I feel we took the wrong approach in tryin' to push them closer and closer together and figurin' it would work itself out. Sometimes distance can make fer a better relationship in the long run.
Dorian: O'course, y'all also have to accept that maybe y'all can't mend that bond...just cause someones blood-related don't mean they'll like each other.
Vernon: Like me and Yuri.
Audrey: Oh hush, y'all get along fine now.
Vernon: Well, we tolerate each other, if that's what you mean.
Dorian: However, case and point that yer pups are young. They're hot-headed and flush with hormones. When they get older, and that starts to even off, they'll probably end up gettin' along again...just like Vern and Yuri do now. Although considerin' you said yer boys had a good relationship before that, I imagine their prospects are better fer bein' good friends again in the future.
Vernon: Yeah, Yuri and I hated each other since we were barely out of diapers...our feud was purty long by comparison to yer boys.
Audrey: And just look at how far these two have come. Trust me, iffin' Vern and Yuri can at least learn to play nice after everythin' that's gone on between 'em, I think yer boys odds are purty good.
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