Richard Russo's "Dog" and Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" are stories that illustrate the negative impacts parents sometimes have on their children and the unintended consequences that occur as a result of their parenting. In "Dog," Henry Devereaux grows into an adult who has difficulty connecting emotionally with others, a man who is not easy, and though entertaining, is not comforting. In "Two Kinds," Jing-mei was a failure many times over in her mother's eyes, finally dropping out of college and only accepting of herself later in life.

In the story "Dog," Henry Devereaux was raised by parents who were aloof and unavailable. His parents were English professors who were "academic nomads," and his father was an "academic opportunist" who was revealed to be self-centered and one who craved attention, as evidenced by the fact that he favored being the "distinguished visiting professor" who held court with "obsequious junior...