11. Parental Advice

A/N: And we're back to your regularly scheduled programming. In this chapter, we will begin to long process of healing the Loud family, starting with the parents incase the title didn't tip you off. We'll see how Lynn Sr. and Rita feel about the current situation, their lives, and what they can hope to do in the future. After all, raising 11 kids isn't easy.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

"Wooo...where do I start?" Lynn Sr. asked as he lied down on the lounging chair.

"It doesn't matter who you start with, but I would like to know how you feel about all of your kids." Miranda explained. "And considering how many he has, this is gonna take a while..." She uttered in her head.

"Well, being a father of 11 kids isn't easy I can tell you that...my family has had a lot of ups and downs, but in the end, we still love each other to the bottom of our hearts...even so, it still baffles me how something like this happened...I guess it was only a matter of time..."

Ms. Lope tilted her glasses down. "Care to clarify?"

"Well, all of the kids have different personalities that can sometimes cause them to be at odds with each other. And let me tell ya, sibling fights in the house are pretty common. We're not called Loud for nothing." The father chuckled. "For example, I have two girls that are twins right? They sleep in the same room, but they are practically polar opposites. Lana likes mud and reptiles, not afraid to be covered in dirt while Lola likes cleanliness and beauty. They also tend to fight the most."

"A common thing among identical twins." Miranda stated while writing some notes. "What about the rest of your children?"

"Well...there's Lori, my oldest daughter. Any time myself and my wife are at work or leave for the evening, she's entrusted to make sure the house doesn't fall apart. Being that she likes to be organized, she seems to be handling it well. I would argue that she spends too much time on her phone..."

"Is she one of those girls who talks on their cellular device most the time?"

"Heh, more like 24/7. It's funny though. I remember we first got her a phone when she was 13 because she was old enough and responsible enough to handle one. She hardly ever used it for anything other than the occasional call. But, everything changed the very next year."

"Go on?"

"At the time, she started dating this boy named Roberto Santiago, and she finally started using her phone more frequently. Might be a mixed blessing because the phone bill went through the roof at that point. If you can't hear her, you can tell she's around from the non-stop texting she does." Lynn Sr. chuckled.

"Hmm...this Roberto Santiago wouldn't happen to be the same one Clyde talks about is it?" The doctor questioned.

"Well...to be honest, I don't know any other person named that. He's often called Bobby though."

Miranda nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Ok. Carry on."

"So, pretty soon her phone became her world basically. I think it got even worse when I finally got her a smart phone after constantly asking for one." The father sighed. "She's also the only child in the house to have their driver's license. I don't say it much, but I worry every day she'll end up in an accident due to be buried in her phone...well, it's not an issue right now though..." The father stated solemnly.

"A parent's natural worry." Miranda silently agreed.

"And speaking of driving, there's my second oldest daughter, Leni. She's...not exactly the brightest tool in the shed...I love her dearly, but her condition can make you want to...slap your forehead at times..."

The doctor paused. "What kind of condition does she have?"

"Only Rita and myself know this, and possibly Lisa...but...Leni actually has ADHD...she's always sweet, likes to keep herself looking beautiful, but she's been prone to having plenty of...dim moments..." The patriarch explained. "Both of us were worried when she first started showing signs of it when she was only 4. She's had a hard time staying on task in some simple situations, but surprisingly she's a high school junior now. You may think it's a miracle, but to be honest, myself and Rita would slip some medication into her drinks to help her stay focused..."

"And you've been doing that for 12 years?"

Lynn Sr. nodded. "I don't like having to lie to the kids, but we're just not sure how they'd handle it...I will say, that Leni's mind really seems to come into its own when she's making smoothies or anything related to fashion." He leaned up in his chair for a moment. "She can turn any object into a fashionable piece of clothing, whether its a curtain, trash, anything!"

"Well, when one sets their mind to it, they can accomplish their goal." Miranda stated, jotting down Leni's information.

"What's odd is that, on the other side of the family, my daughter Lisa has the smarts of a 40 year old scientist. And she's only four."

Miranda's pencil snapped at that notion, and she gave a questionable look. "Perdon?" She spoke in her native tongue, not believing him for a moment.

"She's 4 years old, yet she's heavily interested in chemistry, biology, math, anything that peaks her interest I suppose. She's even got a Noble Prize in bio-chemistry when she was only three, and she's a teacher at the local college. Now, I know you're gonna ask 'how can a four year old be a teacher?' Well, you'll see when you speak with her. Myself and Rita were very concerned because we hadn't seen anything like this since Leni was born, and I may not be that smart, but I know babies shouldn't come out as smart as Einstein...we took her to a few doctors and the best they could come up with was that Lisa had some form of Autism or Narcissistic Neurosis..."

The Hispanic doctor took a moment to digest this information. "...No offense to you Mr. Loud, but as ridiculous and impossible as that sounds, I'm willing to bet your daughter likely has some form of Autism. It's not uncommon that a mental disorder can produce a higher-than-average intelligent quotient. She'll be very interesting to speak with." She sharpened her pencil and took heavy note of this. "Getting away from some of the darker aspects, do you have any interests or hobbies?"

The father brightened up a bit. "Well, I like dancing, a bit of karaoke on the side, and I'm really into the Rocking Boulders. And speaking of which, I ever tell you about my daughter Luna? She's a huge fan of them, especially Mick Swagger. He's essentially the reason why she likes rock and roll so much. I believe we both met him in disguise at a family fair once...I still can not believe I actually saw Mick Swagger face to face!" He fell back in the chair, stuck in a state of bliss.

Miranda just stared at him uneasily, wondering when he'd snap back to reality.

Thirty minutes earlier, while the father was getting his therapy session, Rita walked back into the waiting room. The absence of the patriarch drew confusion from the girls.

"Where's dad?" Luan asked.

"He's busy doing a one-on-one session with Dr. Lopez. She'll do the same with me once he's finished, same for you girls." The matriarch explained.

Lola raised her hand. "Called it."

"Now, while we were talking with Ms. Lopez, some things that we hadn't thought about before came up, so while I know this is a bit late in the game...how did you girls handle your Sister Fight Protocol last weekend?" She asked with a stern look.

Each of the sisters did not want to be reminded of their failed system. It served as nothing but an embarrassment of how everyone acted so childishly and the efforts of what their combined flawed thinking led to, but main reason no one ever wanted to utter it because it forced them to bring in the painful memories of everything that happened to that point, and everyone wanted to try and move on from this low point in their lives.

"It started with me and Leni fighting over a dress..." Lori began. "...I didn't want her wear the same thing I did, so I demanded she take it back to the mall..." The 17 year old started, covered her face in embarrassment.

"I refused, and we got into a serious argument over who should wear the dress..." Leni finished.

Rita couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose at this. At first, she thought it may have gotten started due to a legitimately serious argument, not over something petty like a dress. "What...else...happened?" She edged on. Call it mother tuition, but she had a feeling she'd be utterly pissed by the time their tale was done.

"So the protocol was put into action. Lori was cooling off in the kitchen, with Leni upstairs in her room. Lincoln...he wanted to get a snack out of the kitchen but I wouldn't let him because Lori needed her space..." Luna added.

"I found a bagel under the sofa he could try. Apparently, all it did was give him the urge to commit the emesis of his ventriculus." Lisa gave her input. "And by that, I mean vomit." She added for clarification.

"However, he couldn't use the bathroom because Leni was in there cooling off...but I gave him a bucket to use." Lana stated sheepishly.

"Then...Lincoln wanted to watch a monster truck rally, but we wouldn't let him for Lori and Leni's sake." Lucy spoke.

"And how exactly did you do that?..." Rita asked, the annoyance in her voice very clear.

Lynn, Lola, and the goth had a guilty look on her face. "We...beat him up when he reached for the remote..." The jock explained.

The next 10 minutes were spent with each sister telling their role with the Sister Fight Protocol. After thoroughly explaining what happened on Friday and Saturday, the sisters realized the unfair treatment they put their brother through. Kicking him out of his room not once, not twice, but three times in total, taking his bed sheets without permission to use as a divider in one of the girl's rooms, and not even explaining the protocol to him and just adamantly telling him to keep out of it, did not help their situation one bit. Stating it was a 'sister thing' was a pitiful excuse to the mother. But, Rita finally knew what part Lincoln had played in all of this: keep out of it and go along with whatever his sisters did no matter how asinine it was. She had yet to give her daughters a tongue lashing since this whole situation started, as she was too angry to even speak with them, but now...

"So let me get this straight...you girls thought it was ok to use your brother's room to avoid each other, without his consent, you took his bed sheets even though we had spares in the basement...and on top of that, any time he asked about the protocol, you just told him it's a 'sister thing' and to butt...out?..." Rita asked, her eyes squinted in anger. Her tone of voice carried venom at this point.

The girls nodded in fear.

"So...like, are you mad at us?..." Leni asked.

"No Leni..." The girls calmed down a little. "Because 'mad', doesn't begin to cover it!" Rita yelled, causing the girls to flinch. It even grabbing the attention of Gigi. "How could you girls act like this?! We raised you better than that, and you should've known better than to treat your only brother like his opinion doesn't matter! Not only did you treat his possessions and space like they were expendable, you also couldn't see the flaws in your protocol from the very beginning! I don't care if one of you is upset, you have no right to block off an entire section of the house! You can do that in your own homes, but not in my house missies!" The girls sank in their chairs in sadness.

"I understand Lincoln accidentally reignited the initial argument, but his intentions were pure, and to be honest, you girls are literally at fault for keeping secrets from each other. All he wanted to do was get everything back on track." Rita scolded. "Lori and Leni, I'm especially disappointed in both of you for arguing over something so trivial. You both bought the dress, so what is wrong with having the same item? You both share a room for God's sake!" The two lowered their head in guilt. It was also embarrassing how their mom used the words 'like' and 'literally'. The apple really didn't fall far from the tree for these two. "I'm also disappointed in you as well, Luna and Luan! You shouldn't have let yourself get dragged into their argument, especially when it didn't concern you and it was over a petty reason! This is like, worse than the time you kids fought over money..."

Rita sat down in one of the adjacent chairs. "Aside from Lily, I'm disappointed in the rest of you for going along with everything that happened...but..." Her anger softened as she mellowed out. "I'm mostly disappointed in myself..." This earned confusion from her daughters. "I know I have a right to be upset, but the blame goes to me and your father for not taking the time to settle things between our kids like a real parent would...it's...it's our faults you girls ended up like this..." Rita felt hot tears running down as face as she started to sob.

Each of the sisters could feel their mother's pain, but none felt it more than Lori. Being the oldest, she's had to care for her siblings any time both parents stepped out of the house, so she knew first hand it was hard caring for 10 kids. She didn't like having to be a bossy and overbearing sister, but she knew it would keep the others from going overboard. Recalling the time her siblings usurped control from her, the house would've been completely demolished by their antics. Thankfully, it was Lincoln who came to his senses first and helped make sure everyone avoided an epic grounding. And now, her brother was afraid of her. After all the treatment she gave him...she literally felt like a total bitch...However, one grating thought was stuck in her head. Why did their parents avoid settling their matters? Was it because...no...she didn't want to think about that...

Lori sat next to her crying mother and hugged her tight. "Mom...don't blame yourself for what we did...we take sole responsibility for our actions, and you had nothing to do with that...I just wish we could be better daughters..."

"Lori...you girls are the best thing that's ever happened to me...I was even ecstatic when Lincoln was born...but-"

"Mom...you try to do your best, we get that. I understand it the most because you always trust me to watch over everyone while you and dad are away...I know we lost your trust because of...you know what...but I need to ask this...are you and dad...a-afraid of us?..." The teen asked in worry.

"Ok, so we know all 11 of your children...and I'm sorry to bring up recent memories of what happened with your son, but that's why we're here. Now, given what you've said, do you feel closer to some of your kids in comparison to the others?" Miranda asked.

"Well, it's a given I'm close to Luan and Luna due to having similar tastes. I always help teach Lana about fixing things around the house, even though at times she breaks them just so I can teach her..." A good amount of his Saturdays were spent fixing stuff in and around the house when he could've been relaxing after a hard week at work. "On occasion, I do play music with Luna. I'm actually pretty decent with the saxophone and even used to be the cow bell player for a band...until they kicked me out..." The father chuckled nervously. " Luan takes after my sense of humor. Also, Lynn Jr. shares my love for sports. Though I do wish Lincoln had as well..."

"Speaking of your son, what about him? Being the only boy in the family, I'm sure there's probably a close father/son relationship going on."

"Well of course. I've taught Lincoln how to ride a bike when he was 3, I've taken him on a couple fishing trips, he's actually pretty good with the cello too. At some point, I even plan on giving him the family car when he's old enough."

"Sounds promising." Miranda stated as she kept writing. "Anything else?"

"Well, there's..." Lynn Sr. dug into his mind to try and find more fond memories of him and his son. He found one more moment, such as helping him with his volcano project when he finally found the time to help him. After that, he was drawing a blank. All he could remember were the times Lincoln got himself into trouble or had lied to get out of doing something. Such was the case when Rita signed him up for football or at least some type of exercise. Not to mention the times Lincoln clogged the toilet. Admittedly, the father was still a little peeved at having his karaoke CDs flushed down the can.

Miranda studied the look on Lynn Sr.'s face. "Mr. Loud, do you feel you aren't as close to your son as you would have liked?"

"Huh? That's ridiculous! I know my son like the back of my hand."

"Can you name some of his hobbies?"

"Well, he likes to play video games, reading comics, Dairyland, and...uh..."

The psychologist shook her head. "Some parents always go with denial..." She thought. "Do you sometimes wish he was more like his sisters?"

Lynn Sr. sighed. "Yes...my girls seem to have found what they're passionate about, even the girls younger than Lincoln, and they even got some achievements for it. I'm not sure if Lincoln has found that certain calling yet..."

"Well, Lynn, are you aware of the phrase, you can lead a horse to water, but can't make him drink?" The father nodded. "Lincoln will come into his own eventually, he just needs time and acceptance. He could grow up to be a decent artist, a writer of some sort, we may never know. But you can't force someone into doing things they don't like, because if their mind isn't into it, it will lead to failure. Once he finds his passion, he'll stick with that. And, I can tell you wish to be closer to your other kids, so what I recommend is trying to find time for them so you can get to know them better. Granted, I know it must be difficult given the size of your family..."

"Well...myself and Rita always make plans on how we can help our kids. However, sometimes they can be a bit...selfish...There was one instance where Lincoln had to go over to the McBride's house to get help with his volcano project. I was a little disheartened because I couldn't find time to help him. Whenever I could, one of my daughters wanted me to help them with something. Same for my wife...eventually, they even went over to the McBride's and essentially...broke them. Even then, my daughters wanted our help when we were busy helping Lincoln with his project. But, at that moment, we put our foot down and told them to wait." The father explained.

"Did they listen?"

"Yeah. I think we used too much pressure with the volcano though." Lynn Sr. laughed.

"Noted. But remember, don't be afraid to say no. They may not like the answer, but it can give you time to get closer to your other children. Now, may I speak with Rita?"

The father nodded before getting up and leaving the room. Upon coming into the waiting room, he found Rita crying along with Lori comforting her. "Ok, I clearly missed something...are you alright sweetie?"

Rita simply shook her head. "Right...well, Ms. Lopez wishes to speak with you..."

"Thanks..." The mother said before sulking down the hall.

Once the matriarch was out of earshot, the father to his daughters. "Alright, what happened while I was in there?"

Miranda was rather surprised to see the Loud mother walk into her room, looking completely depressed. "You ok Mrs. Loud?"

Rita simply shook her head, only giving a sniffle in response as she sat on the lounging chair. The doctor tossed her a box of tissues, to which the mother started to use immediately. The psychologist gave her the same speech she gave Lynn Sr. regarding use of information spoken within the room, and that the mother was free to use it as she pleased. If she wanted it to be kept private, Miranda wouldn't say a word to anyone.

"So what happened while I was speaking with your husband?"

"...It turns out Lincoln did have a role in their system. The girls thought it was perfectly ok to take up his space and use his belongings like they were expendable...and any time he asked about their protocol, they just told him to keep out of it..." The mother felt her anger returning. "That's not the worst of it though...their whole protocol...all of this started...Over. A. Fucking. Dress..."

Miranda was a little surprised. But then again, these are two teenage girls they're talking about. She's seen plenty of this in her youth, though normally it was over shoes instead of a piece of clothing. The doctor herself was guilty of this at one point, but eventually she saw the futility of fighting over an item of fabric as it would only bring temporary happiness before the next big thing to hit the store came in. And girls would repeat the process over and over, being slaves to the company's marketing. "So what did you do?"

"I let my daughters know just what I thought about the whole situation...but I can't help but blame myself for this..." Rita paused. "I can tell you as one mother to another, that raising a boat load of children is possibly the hardest challenge in my life...I love each and every one of them dearly, but with tensions running in a family with several diverse personalities, myself and Lynn avoid picking favorites lest the rest of our kids come down on one of them...it's even worse knowing that's exactly what happened to my little boy..." Rita wiped tears from her face with tissues.

Miranda said nothing as the mother of 11 continued to cry. She kept a stoic face, but deep down, she pitied Rita. She knew it was stressful raising a child, but she would never think of having the amount the Louds had. Still, if something happened to her bundle of joy, she'd be in the same position as the matriarch.

"That's why whenever the kids argue, both parties are punished...but that strategy just doesn't work...my eldest daughter just asked me if I was afraid of them..."

The doctor secretly hoped she wouldn't have to deal with another case of syngenesophobia. "...Are you?"

"NO!" Rita instinctively yelled. "S-Sorry, but no...I want them to be assured that I DO NOT fear my own children, it's already bad enough Lincoln fears his own sisters...they're just hard to control at times...when all of my kids become angry, they're like a bull in a china shop, or a mini-tornado of some kind...in those situations...I hate saying it, but sometimes it's best to duck and wait for the opportunity set them straight..."

"Does that make you feel more distant from your children?" The doctor asked.

Rita nodded. "...My only job is a dental assistant, and before that I was a crossing guard...it's hard enough making ends meet...don't tell anyone this, but...sometimes it does cross my mind what it would be like if our family was smaller...but in the end, I realized it just wouldn't be the same and that's just selfish thinking on my part..."

"I can understand that...but, in relation to that question, do you feel a close connection to some of your kids over the others?"

Rita had to take a moment to think, lying down in the chair. After having so many daughters, it almost felt monotonous given she went through the same motions when it came to raising them. She helped Lori, Leni, Luna, and Luan when they started having their time of the month, and Lynn was due to start any day now. She even helped her 3 oldest sisters deal with their hormones when puberty started to set in. Sure enough, Rita knew she'd do the same with Lucy, the twins, Lisa, and even Lily some 15 years later. However, it was different with Lincoln. Being the only boy in the family, he would be taught differently compared to his sisters because he'd grow into a man some day. Rita wouldn't say this in front of her daughters, but raising a boy was possibly the best thing to happen to her, as it finally changed the system. It was an entirely different experience, and she was glad she was lucky enough to be able to bring forth a son.

"As far as my daughters are concerned...I would say I'm closest to Lori and Leni as those two will be legally classified as adults in the next few years, and as a mother I need to do all that I can to prepare them for that crossing...that's why I was disappointed in them when they argued over a dress. They've been living in the same room for 8 years, and they should know better than to argue over petty things... there's Lily of course, since she's the baby...but I can't say I'm that close to much of my other daughters...3 of them are tomboyish and look to their father for advice, even though I know they'll ask me for womanly help when dealing with certain aspects...I can definitely see Lola doing that when she's in her teens..."

Miranda kept jotting down notes.

"But, I do hold my son close to my heart...me and Lynn want to see him become a fine gentleman one day...I guess you could say popping him out felt like a breather after having so many daughters." The mother chuckled a little. Even the doctor couldn't help but smile at the joke. "I know at times he feels lonely that he doesn't have a brother...personally I did hope give birth to another son or two, but things didn't happen that way. So, I try to be there for him as much as I can so he doesn't feel alone...on one such occasion, it was Take your Daughter to Work Day, and of course Lincoln being male, he couldn't come with the girls to their dad's job. Didn't stop him from trying though." Rita fondly remembered when the boy disguised himself as a girl. Would've worked, but his parents know how to count heads. "So, I took him to my job. He was a little bored of course, but he managed to let his imagination run wild. Unfortunately, he ended up ruining the novel I had been working on..."

The Hispanic woman tilted her glasses. "You're a novelist?"

"Well, not really. The original copy was about my boring job as a dental assistant. After working on that novel for years, I couldn't help but be upset, but after Lincoln told me the lengths he went through to get it back after he lost it, it gave me a new idea. It's going to be about a fearless thrill seeker, based on my own child. We even rode home on skates while clinging to the back of a horse." The mother giggled.

Miranda found that to be very heartwarming. "Seems she's closer to her son than the father." She thought.

"Though, I did grow concern about Lincoln's lifestyle...unlike his sisters he's not as active, so I tried to get him to do some exercise. Unfortunately, he was being too lazy about it, so I signed him up for Pee-Wee Football...he managed to dupe Lynn Jr. into playing for him, though she didn't mind. However, I didn't appreciate being lied to, but he manned up and finally played, despite scoring the the wrong team...I would have punished him, but I thought getting jumped by his own team was bad enough...despite all of that, I would always be there for him...and the one time I wasn't...he ended up like he is now..." Rita felt more tears coming, so she quickly grabbed another tissue.

"I see..." The doctor paused, reviewing some of her notes. "Is it alright if I ask Lynn Sr. to come in?" The mother nodded in response.

Miranda walked out of the office and came back with the father two minutes later. He seemed to be rather mellow like his wife. The girls explained what they told their mother, and asked the same question. The father assured that he wasn't afraid of his own children, though some of his actions may have proved otherwise. Rita sat up to make room for her husband as the Hispanic doctor sat in the opposite chair.

"Now, both of you have shown me that you are indeed afraid of being too distant from your children. You say you don't pick sides as this may cause sibling rivalry, yet you are close to some of your kin while not interacting much with the others. I understand you two are afraid you're bad parents, but let me tell you this: any bad parent would've just let things continue the way they are without seeking help. You both did the right thing bringing this up so you can settle your problems not only for your son's sake, but for your entire family. Now, I understand that it's difficult controlling so many kids, but you can't be afraid to put your foot down and prevent something worse from happening. It's better to put an end to a conflict than to let it drag on. I'm sure you two are already taking measures to make sure nothing like this happens again, no?" Both parents nodded.

"Now, to absolve your worry about not being close to all of your kids, I can say this: spend as much time as you can with those you feel you aren't close to. Get to know them better, make them feel comfortable around you. Don't try to overdo it, as this may push the child away. It doesn't have to be anything outlandish, a nice talk, or doing their favorite activities will do. Over time, I'm sure your kids won't think about you being afraid of them."

Lynn Sr. gave a sigh. "Thank you for your time Dr. Lopez."

"It's nothing." The doctor looked over at her clock. It was already 4 pm. "Now, given time constraints, I may be able to only talk with one or two of your daughters."

"Which one do you want?"

Miranda looked over her notes. "Send in...Lori."

A/N: The parents sure got their work cut out for them. It's rather sad knowing in my NSL story they're the exact opposite of what they're doing right now. On the Loud House wiki, it states they're close to certain kids, but it says next to nothing about those that aren't. As such, I had to fill in some blanks or just outright state they aren't as close. Lori will be the first sibling to interact with the good doctor, and her case should be very interesting considering how her sisters tend to view her.