babyhippoface's Reviews > Love You Forever

Thanks for your review. Sometimes I need someone else to express what is making me uncomfortable. I bought the book in a hurry one day without reading it as so many people had mentioned that they liked it. When I read it I thought the same as you, considered throwing it out. Never got around to it, and now some of my grandchildren find it and bring it to me and I cringe as I say to myself, "Oh no, do we have read that?" It doesn't make me feel good, it makes me feel lonely and you verbalized why, they never spoke love to each other while they were awake. I guess I could use that as a lead in to discus expressing and showing our love daily with my grandchildren.

I think that's a perfect response for those times when your grandkids want you to read it!

YES! THANK YOU! This book gives me the creeps, and I received multiple copies when my son was born so I had to write Thank You notes for it anyway.

That must have challenged your writing skills, crafting thank yous for something you couldn't stand! "...thank you for your gift. It was so kind of you to think of us and our new baby. I will never, ever, EVER share this book with our baby, however, because it is so stinkin' freaky and possibly encourages breaking and entering. And stalking. In fact, I will probably head over to the nearest Barnes & Noble this afternoon to exchange this puppy for something less emotionally stunted. But thank you anyway...."

I'm not sure it's supposed to be taken this literally...like most children's books, Love You Forever invites children to stretch their imaginations and recognize/empathize with feelings they may not yet fully understand. Children obviously don't know what it's like to raise a child - this book takes them out of themselves, inviting them to walk a mile in the shoes of their biggest sources of both love and grief - parents. (Considering millenials are 40% less empathetic than our counterparts of 20-30 years ago, I'd say more children should have been exposed to books like this).

Of course it would be odd if a parent actually did climb a ladder into their grown son's window and rocked them to sleep...that's not the point. Think about it from a child's perspective, a mind devoid of any preconceived notions related to sexuality or "breaking and entering." It's comforting for children to read a story about parents always being there for their kids, even in the frightening, foggy unknown that is their future adult life. To a child who knows no greater comfort than being rocked to sleep by her mother, and who can't imagine the pain of ever losing a parent (as most humans inevitably must), this book conveys the difficult to understand realities of life, death, and growing up in a way they can more easily digest. A child who experiences being rocked to sleep by his own mother is able to see himself in this woman's adult son, and his mind stretches; he begins to ponder what his own future might be like, and suddenly the world seems a little more tangible - and a little less scary - than before.

I know this might all sound very theoretical, but I say this not to postulate but because I used to read this book at my grandmother's as a child, and this is how it made me feel.

Well, Louise, this is why I say that not every book is for every reader...and that's okay. :) We don't all have to like the same books or agree on interpretations. That's why free choice of reading materials is so important for our kids.

I can see how this book might give a child a feeling of security and a sense of the "forever love" his parents feel for him. But for me, there are many other children's books that offer the same message, and in a more pro-active manner.

Maybe it's a metaphor for how no matter where her son is or how old he gets, the mother will always love him. I mean, we don't actually believe she could do that.

http://moms.popsugar.com/Truth-Behind...

Hey, if you are still around, check out my review on this book. Yes it does encourage break and enter, that is creepy (even though I don't think that was the author's point.)

Melissa wrote: "Hey, if you are still around, check out my review on this book. Yes it does encourage break and enter, that is creepy (even though I don't think that was the author's point.)"

I loved your review. The poem is beautiful and since I have a little boy too I could imagine singing it to him. He will always be my baby but his life is his own :)

This is hilarious!