I love to do bedtime stories. In the past, I've read stories. When I'm in a creative mood, I'll make up stories. The whole bedtime story routine, however, has changed in my home. My 6 year old is starting to read. As a result, she reads the stories to me. I listen to her read a book, and I spend time thinking about the information being absorbed by my daughter.
Tonight's tale was a familiar one, Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!. Before we even owned this book, I was familiar with how this goes. Perhaps you could chant along with me...
Ten little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Momma called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Nine little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off...
Wait a second! The doctor has given specific instructions. This wise professional has figured out a simple way to keep further head injuries from taking place. And yet his instructions are ignored. I suppose that's be to expected. We can assume these are young monkeys, and you know what they say...monkeys will be monkeys. But then my attention turns to the mother - where is she?!?!
My daughter is sleeping and I'm wondering if I should let this piece of literature remain in our home. Maybe I could point out the parental neglect. Or I could simply brush this off as another example of an overworked, single-parent home with the youngsters running amuck. I'll need to take some time and sort this out...
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2 comments:
Your post sparks memories of other books in my childhood. Did you read "There's a Monster Under My Bed"? I think at the end of the story there were no monsters, and the book is an attempt to ease a child's fear, but all I can remember is the imagination that creates the monsters. Scary stuff.
Every book written or published has a central message the author wants to convey. Readers often miss the point, but the point remains embedded in the text.
One of the most famous authors of children's books, Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), admitted that his book, Green Eggs and Ham, was written to encourage children to rebel against their parents (I tried to find the interview on the Internet but didn't have time to serch through 16,800 entries on Google). He voiced his surprise that the book had become one of his best sellers.
So, I think it is vitally important for a parent to read the books and research the authors before giving them or reading them to their children. Isn't it true that sometimes our children are more perceptive than we are? If that is true, maybe they get the central theme and we don't.
I know this...I, too, remember the monsters purduepetty mentioned, and I have never eaten green eggs and ham...and a lot of other food my mother told me to eat.
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