Monday, September 26, 2016

#Microblog Mondays: A Reason I'd Be A Good Mom



I'd like to think that there are a zillion reasons why I'd make a great mom.

But in the past week something came up that made me really, really mourn the mom I'm not (yet).

A friend of mine at school told me about her daughter, who is a new kindergartner. She loves school, but she is very, very anxious. They just did the fire drills, and immediately she was worried about fires. "Why do we have to practice for a fire if there isn't a good chance that there WILL BE a fire?" She was worried about starting kindergarten, because she rapidly leapt ahead into the future... "If I go to kindergarten that means I'm growing up, and if I'm growing up then I'll have to move out one day and go to college and I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU YET!"

I admire her forward thinking, and I can relate to the worst-case-scenario thinking patterns.

But.

She was worrying herself into a tizzy.

I immediately thought of a Kevin Henkes book, Wemberly Worried. Wemberly is worried about everything -- the cracks in the wall (what if they get bigger and the house falls down or something scary comes out of it?), checking to make sure her parents still exist at night after she's gone to bed, worrying about her stuffed rabbit when it's in the wash. Wemberly reminded me of my friend's daughter, and I thought maybe the book would be comforting--because at the end she finds a friend at school who also worries and she discovers that she can worry just enough but not too much.

So I bought it online and when it came in I put it on her desk with a note to review it and let me know if she thought it would be helpful or just cause new worries she hadn't thought of yet (you just never know).

My friend came to me later in the day when I saw her for the first time and she had tears in her eyes...the book was PERFECT. Her daughter actually shares some of those fears about the cracks in the walls and the parents disappearing and whatnot.

It made me so happy, because finding the right book for the right child is something I enjoy, and picture books can be healing.

But it also made me so sad, because I have a room upstairs that is absolutely full of beautiful picture books and board books, and a room downstairs that has all my natural history type picture books, and I have no one to enjoy them with...no one to share them with...no one who can learn from them and relate to them and feel better because a book understood them.

Someday I hope that I can find just the right book for my child, and show them all the ways that reading can be entertaining and educational and emotionally nurturing.

Someday.


Want to read more #Microblog Mondays? Go here and enjoy!

19 comments:

  1. Awww Jess. You are going to be a great mom! I pray every day for you that the day comes very, very soon. (((Hugs)))

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  2. One day, Jess, one day you will be sharing all these books with your child. <3

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  3. You are so gifted. And so generous with your giftedness.

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  4. You are a thoughtful,caring, and loving friend. You will be a thughtful, caring, and loving mom.

    Soon.

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  5. Aw. I was an anxious child (and sometimes adult) and I really love what you did here. I so hope that soon you are reading those books (over and over and over again).

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  6. So many hugs coming your way. So, so many. I know you will share those books one day. You're too amazing not to. My hope is that it is very soon.

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  7. I am sure you will be sharing all your beautiful picture books and natural history books with your child one day, even if it's a longer than usual journey to that day. You sound like you have a real knack for knowing what a child needs

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  8. Hugs Jess. I am sure the phone will ring and all your dreams will come true. You are a wonderful person and there is no doubt in my mind that you won't be a great mother. So believe and stay positive. Love!

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  9. I share that love of reading. Books are so important. Hoping, hoping, hoping you get to share these someday with your sweet baby.

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  10. I love that you care so much for a friend's child. That is difficult to do at times. I love even more that you went a step farther and got the book for them. I hope with all my heart your wish and dream comes true soon.

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  11. So bittersweet. This post made me smile, thinking about that child finding comfort in the book. But wishing that you could apply that magic to kids in your home. Soon, sweetie, I hope very soon.

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  12. You would be a great Mum! So thoughtful of you to help your friend's daughter that way.

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  13. You would make a great Mum! So thoughtful of you to help your friend's daughter that way

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  14. Those moments when you get to let latent parenting skills shine can be so affirming and yet so heartbreaking. Sending love your way today.

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  15. Why am I crying?! You will, friend.

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  16. You've known the right book for the right child since *you* were a child. I'm lucky to have you as a sister. This is also why I used to steal your books. :)

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  17. Reading this made my heart ache, especially as a lover of books and enthusiast of picking out children's books for special kids in my life. You are a kind, thoughtful and sweet friend. You have a gift and hope you may be able to share it with a child of your own someday.

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  18. That's such a beautiful, bittersweet, hard story - really a kind, lovely thing to do for your friend's daughter. Sending a lot of thoughts and hopes your direction that soon it will be time to do this for your child.

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  19. I am so looking forward to reading the posts in which you finally get to share all of your many, many gifts with your child. xoxox

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