These seventeen stories explore the relationships between children and the adults - parents, guardians, or others - who might have an interest in them. They range from the wrenching to the whimsical. They examine abuse, neglect, and abandonment on the one hand, and loving, caring, and nurturing on the other. They are about children, but not necessarily for children. Some are happy stories, others are sad, but all testify to the strength and resilience of young people as they adapt to circumstances good and bad. The future, as is so often said, belongs to the young. These stories are dedicated to that truth.