Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Emotional OE & "innocuous" triggers

You all just reminded me of an epic weeping session I had after finishing The Old Curiosity Shop. Walking up and down the hall wailing... Good thing I was home alone. So I must have been older, maybe 13. But even as a teacher the first few years teaching Romeo and Juliet made me choke up a bit. All those impassioned teens realizing the little tragic moments for the first time--ouch. But yes children's books make me cry, although I can develop a tolerance after many readings. Goodnight My Angel got me good.

While middle kid seemed to cry a lot about silly things, I can't recall books or movies being a trigger (unless they were such tearjerkers that everyone cries when they read/watch them). Middle kid had some perfectionist things going on at a young age that made her cry, and microscopic cuts and buttons/snaps on clothes made her break down...but she always liked to read and write about "dark" things.

Just wanted to ask about the earlier comments on Love You Forever...My MIL gave us that book and all of us found it rather disturbing and creepy...did anyone else react that way? And Dobby's death did upset my kids a little, but not enough to stop reading.

Love you forever...yes creepy...but I read it when I was pregnant with my first (after 10 years of infertility) so with all the pregnancy hormones running through my body I was a crying mess (at my niece and nephew's first birthday party) and I had tons of mom's actually laughing at me. They all thought it was creepy too, yet could understand the emotion. If you go on Youtube (or maybe it is his website) you can hear the author read it...and he reads it more as a funny story (knowing that the mom is nuts).

I think the illustrations were a poor match for the text. I've questioned why Munsch approved them, as he originally wrote the story for two of his children who were born stillborn.

My take is that it's a positive spin on the "Stabat Mater" type song of parental lament over a dead child, an attempt by the author to imagine what could have been through the lens of melancholic parental love. Maybe it should be taken literally...that the mother, if given the opportunity to see her children through life, would have hung on their every treasured breath in joy and gratitude.

Wow. Even writing that made me tear up. I'm a hot mess.

Anyone read Beatrice's Goat with their kids? For some reason, that one made me cry buckets, and it's not even sad! Maybe it was when I was pregnant - I don't remember exactly when we read it. But considering that I once had to pull the car over because I was crying so hard when Little Drummer Boy came on the radio when I was pregnant, that could account for it!

See and I really, really got that (without knowing that this was the story behind the story) and identified with it being pregnant with my firstborn after many early miscarriages and the ten years of trying. At that point I was maybe 16 weeks and I felt like this one was going to be a keeper (but in the back of my mind I knew that it wasn't 100% given that there would actually be a baby). He is now 13 and I still look at him in amazement and know exactly how that momma felt holding her baby at night even when he was a grown teen and grown man across town.

That's lovely, Sweetie! I'm so glad your son has been the gift you'd hoped for!!

Yeah-- I agree. It really resonated with me because of our deep longing, and our hope being tempered with fear of losing our DD (both before birth and then once we were confronted with her medical vulnerability).

I look at those months between her birth and her first medical crisis as a kind of-- well, a sort of time-out-of-time, in some respects.

It's the only time that we really had where we didn't have fear peeking over the shoulder of our love/joy in having her. "Normal" worrying seems so sweet and poignant that I kind of treasure those moments when they happen, even now. So much else isn't normal and never will be.

I don't know if that explains why I don't see that book as "creepy" but it's interesting that others who have had to walk (metaphorically) with a beloved child's mortality seem to respond to it the same way. If your love is boundless, then the loss is as well, and the time that we have is unbelievably precious. It is hard to put it into words. {sniff-sniff} Just thinking about it makes me weepy.

Interesting, Aquinas. Thanks so much for sharing that back-story.

Though in both cases it was fortunately incorrect, both my kids have been medical mysteries to the point where fatal diseases were considered, which was, obviously, unbelievably terrifying. It was more of a real possibility with DS (muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy were the concerns). I do still find LYF weeeeird, though. On the other hand, other books that would not have gotten me had I not had these experiences do get me, I think, because of what we went through. I have not forgotten, and will never forget. I can't even go by the building where baby DS had some of his scariest tests without feeling ill.

I just wanted to post a follow-up to share the success I had in averting upset today. DS' (wonderful!) aunt looks after him for an hour a few days per week while I exercise. Today, while I was getting showered and dressed after my workout, DS and his aunt were reading a book that featured a scene with a baby boy wailing, "I want my Mommy!" Aunt's theatric reading of the line sent DS into a full-blown half hour meltdown of tears and wailing about me leaving him, which even nursing (our magic bullet) couldn't assuage.

Fast forward a few hours and he requested to read the same book again. I skipped ahead to the end of the book and we discussed the mother's joyful reunion with the son and acted it out. I reminded him of the separation scene. When it came to the line, I read it matter-of-factly withou drama, and he was fine! We both enjoyed the book thoroughly.

So, long story short, the recommendation worked well! Thanks again!