Do you have nights where you just want a good cry? Do you have a go-to flick for this purpose? Mine would be Brian’s Song. Football, cancer, best friends, true story…sigh. How about Something For Joey? I dare you to watch the speech at the end without going through a box of kleenex.
I never knew that kids books would have the same effect though. Well – one does for me. My sister read an excerpt from Goodnight Moon at my mother’s funeral. When I got pregnant with Will – I received and promptly regifted – about three copies. I couldn’t even open them. Lately though, I’ve come back to it and can read the whole thing through without crying…woohoo!
I may have found the replacement though. Last night – for the first time – I read Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. Umm…hellloooo – this should have come with a warning label!!! I was sobbing at the end of it and Will was looking at me like ‘dude, what is the issue here’. My response – ‘Just hug me kid – all right…and yes, I’ll love you forever.’
I’ve been sourcing some books to help Will understand his paternity. There are a couple books about being the child of sperm donation that he can read when he’s older but I really want to just make it a non-issue by talking about it now. I found the most awesome book – The Family Book by Todd Paar. It’s for everyone but talks about some families having two moms, two dads or just one parent. It also tossed in a line, ‘All families are sad when they lose someone they love.’ WHY? Todd – why did you have to do that and with the cute pictures of the fish??? It seriously hurts my heart. The best page, ‘All families love to hug each other.’ In an instant Will reaches up behind him and hugs me – his sitter must have taught him that move but it’s a good one – he can get anything he wants with that one.
You know – maybe I should just enjoy the Go Dogs Go or Big Bird’s Animal Game book more because at least they won’t require my kid entering therapy to talk about his mother’s emotional breakdowns.
**sidenote – if you want to cry at work today, read the Munsch link I posted to find out where the idea for the book came from. **
What books get you?? Are there others I should be mentally preparing myself for?
Here’s the boy playing Golden Tee while his mom and aunt got their St. Paddy’s on…maybe I should just enjoy the time that he’ll read books!!!
Oh Christine. I LOOOOVE the Places You’ll Go. My nephew can recite the whole thing and does little actions now for it. Great book. I’ll check this other one out. another good one is Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes…
Love You Forever creeped me out when I was first introduced to it when I was in high school doing a co-op in a kindergarten class. I didn’t get why the kindergarten teacher welled up and barely got through the end of it.
However reading the book as a mother – I get it now.
My favourite book to read to my older boys is Oh The Places You’ll Go. It’s a really fun read and a great message.
I always buy that book and a book called Everywhere Babies. My daughter loved it as a baby.
http://www.amazon.ca/Everywhere-Babies-Susan-Meyers/dp/0152053158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269220980&sr=1-1
great post. i too can’t read Love you Forever anymore. my kids get freaked out when i read the book and inevitably break into muddled sobs, so i stopped reading it altogehter.
My brother bought that book for my mom a couple of years ago for Christmas and she read it to us at the kitchen table…yes we are all well into are 30’s and older but the majority of us cried at 8:30 in the bloody morning – probably one of the best gifts anyone of us have given her. Nathan gets upset when I read it and says “mom I never want you to get old”.
Love
c
I totally agree with Kath, you will not make it through listening to Robert Munsch singing Love you Forever, on man I bawled me eyes out!! It is so cute!!
Stick to my childhood fav Garbage Delight by Robert Lee. Classic nightime poems that were read to me by my big sister! Too much fun! hugs to you and wee will!!
I always thought I knew “the” tune to the song Love You Forever, but now I see on his website that each person may imagine their own? I’ll have to sing it to you sometime (except we will both bawl). I had no idea of the inspiration for the book. How very touching.
I haven’t been able to read “Love You Forever” since Mom died, either. It’s just too raw. I do know the story behind Munsch’s inspiration for it though, very emotional. I’ve always sort of thought of “Love You Forever” as a book more for parents than children, though. My kids were always a bit afraid at the notion that a mom could die. We have a tape (cassette, I know, funny) of Robert Munsch reading the story, and he has a cute little tune he sings for the song parts. *SIGH*
Anyway, about Todd Parr – I *LOVE* his stories. The book “It’s Okay to be Different” is particularly good, as is “The Peace Book”.
Hugs to you both ((()))
Oh Jen – your post was beautiful…and SO true.
DEFINITELY ‘Love You Forever’. Here is the post I wrote about this book: http://www.urbanmoms.ca/moms_the_word/2009/06/love-you-forever-however-we-can.html
I still haven’t been able to read it and don’t think I can click on the link. Heart hurts.