My daughter and I are too much alike and too different for our own goods, and we lock horns more and more often the closer she gets to puberty. I understand this is normal, but it doesn’t make it any easier and it doesn’t provide those elusive answers we all seek when it comes to raising our children.
While at the bookstore one day a few years ago, I happened upon this book, and it touched my heart. I bought it for my daughter, hoping that it would speak to her in ways that I’m sometimes not able, and she has asked me to read it to her again and again, even though she’s a very good reader. I don’t mind at all.
The book starts out with:
“I’m glad I’m your mother! Please let me say why.
I’m glad I’m your mother when you help at the store,
Or when I come home and you open the door.”
The poem continues, showing different sets of mothers with children, as they interact positively. The narrative voice praises the child for the things they do right, and then we read:
“I’m glad I’m your mother when you kiss me goodnight,
Or tell me you’re sorry when something’s not right.”
The illustration shows a child holding an empty glass in his hand, looking down at a puddle of milk on the floor. The mother is standing by him, her hand on his head, and she’s holding a dish towel to help him clean up. This page tells the child that no matter what they do, the mother’s love is still there for them.
The book continues on from that point, this being the only time when misbehavior is mentioned, and then focusing on the positive. I found that to be a very uplifting technique in the book – we’ll acknowledge that things between mothers and children aren’t always perfect, but then we’ll get back to focusing on all the things we have in common.
The last two pages of the book read:
“But most of all, I’m glad I’m your mother
Just because you’re you!
You are God’s wonderful gift to me.”
This gentle book reinforces to children that they are indeed precious gifts from God to us, their parents, and what more important message could we possibly give them?
(This book was first published in 1987 by Standard Publishing for Beansprouts. It was illustrated by Meredith Johnson.)