“Grownups and cubs get quite a surprise when they see themselves through each others' eyes.”
—Opening quote for The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Grownups
The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Grownups is a book in the Berenstain Bears First Time Books series that was first published on March 10, 1992.
It was later adapted into an episode of the same name for the 2002 animated series The Berenstain Bears.
Summary[]
Tempers are running high in the Bear family treehouse with Brother borrowing the sports section from Papa's newspaper without permission and Sister using the phone to talk to Lizzy while Mama was expecting an important phone call.
This inspires the cubs to write a play, prompting the Bear family to learn what it was like to be in each other's shoes.
Synopsis[]
Tensions have been escalating a lot in the Bear House lately. One evening, Papa Bear yells at Brother Bear for taking the Sports section from his newspaper. Brother goes to Mama for sympathy, but receives none, and Mama then screaming at Sister Bear for hogging the phone for an hour talking to Lizzy Bruin. That night, at dinner, the cubs find it boring, and compensate by playing games with their food. Brother stuffs as many peas as he can on his fork, while Sister makes a volcano with her mashed potatoes and gravy, both of which cause their parents to go off on them again.
The next day, Brother and Sister suddenly remember to mention they'll be coming home late that evening as they'll be preparing for the school's talent show on Friday, which even further frustrates their parents, as Mama had plans on taking the family to visit Gramps and Gran that afternoon, and Papa had plans to play chess with Farmer Ben on Friday night. The cubs give Mama and Papa a notice about the preparation night, and the talent show, which turns out to be over a week old, causing both parents to snap again.
Other cubs have their own acts for the talent show, including a violin number, a ballet number and a rap number (which isn't sitting well with some of the teachers). For the talent show, the two cubs, tired of always being yelled at, decide to put on a skit, along with Cousin Fred, and Lizzy Bruin, about what it's like to be a cub and always get told off for the pettiest of things.
With Brother and Sister playing their parents, and Fred and Lizzy playing Brother and Sister, the skit is a hit (although Papa is somewhat bewildered); of course, Papa and Mama then admit the play was very well-done, and even helped them realize how it felt to be a cub. The next day, to teach their own lesson, Mama and Papa dress as Brother and Sister, to play a little role reversal and teach what it's like to be a parent, which includes having to deal with nagging children, picking up after them, and goofing off. Brother and Sister learn their lesson, in a hilarious way.
In the end, both parents and cubs acknowledge the other side's point of view, and learn to tone things down so the family can live together in peace.
Cast[]
- Brother Bear
- Mama Bear
- Papa Q. Bear
- Sister Bear
- Cousin Fred
- Lizzy Bruin
- Gran
- Farmer Ben (mentioned)