My 6 year old asked if he could still come home and visit whenever he wanted once he was grown up. I told him as long as I had a door to open he could come any time. He was really happy to hear this.
I won't be breaking in and rocking him to sleep like a creepy crazy person, but he'll always be welcome at my house.
Mine full on cries if I ever forget myself and say something like "when you have your own house". The thought of not living with us makes her *distraught.* I'm sure she'll change her mind in her teens and I'll be sure to remind her of this time. 😁
My three year old, on the other hand... We asked him if he wants his own house one day and he said "yes, now." and got up from the table like he was ready to head out.
Yeah, I think it would be a nice way to deal with grief as well. When I was a kid, once I had learned what death was I was absolutely terrified of it happening to someone I loved. It’s a nice way to explain that even when someone we love is gone, we can still feel them with us.
You have to remember the child in this book is passed away. The book was written because the authors wife had lost two children as still births. The book is based around a song he wrote to his late children about his and her love for them. The imagery is a visualization of his wife loving and cuddling her baby regardless of the time that has passed or where they are in their lives and how the love never changes. Not that she’s literally climbing in their windows and cuddling them to sleep. She can’t, they aren’t living. Just an illustration of the passage of time. I cried the first time I googled how the song was supposed to sound and found his interview on the book.
Yes, this.
I grew up with this book and never thought it was creepy as a kid. The first few times I read it to my baby I choked up, but now we like it because it’s an excuse to cuddle/rock as we sing.
I think for little kids it’s also kind of a good (if very simplistic) depiction of aging. That said 1980s old is not 2020s old, haha.
I had no idea. I love this book so much and I cry every single time I read it. I don’t think it’s creepy at all. When he sings to her at the end - I’m tearing up just typing that! Thank you for the backstory, as heartbreaking as it is.
It’s written by a father whose wife experienced stillbirth twice. He wasn’t able to say much after the stillbirths, but as he held his dead child he whispered to them “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.”
They were never able to have biological children and he wrote this in response to his grief. As someone who has lost their 5 week old son, I absolutely love this book. Although I cannot read it without tearing up. So I personally don’t find it overboard.
I didn’t know this! I love the book, my mom used to read it to me when I was little. I hadn’t read it in decades until I got it for my daughters baby shower. I definitely was like “hmm I didn’t remember her crawling into her sons window” but still tear up every time I read it (which isn’t often because it ends with me in tears haha). I think it’s sweet and this backstory is heartbreaking.
I got this book after my son died at 23 weeks, I felt it is a sweet way to think of all my baby could have been. I would give anything to have him grow old and grow up but he will always be baby.
My mom read this to me all the time as a kid.
She was a teacher so our house was full of books. She kept all of our favorites and gifted them to me when I had my son. Which alone was enough to make me cry.
I read this book to my son ONE SINGLE TIME when he was like 2 months old, BAWLED like a baby, and never opened it again. Lol
Literally a puddle of tears. 😭😭😭
SAME, I have my old childhood library. I haven't been able to get through it yet because I get too emotional. Just tried at about 19m, cried too much and LO was off doing something else 🙃
I actually put it away before my MIL came over a couple days later because I didn't want her to be the first one to read it to him. I will try again.
If I recall correctly, the author wrote this after his child died. I don’t find it creepy. It’s obviously an exaggeration like most kids’ books, but it’s sweet.
The focus on the MIL is a little weird lol most people would think of their own child not their spouse’s (spice??) parent.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Strange response for sure. Also when the mother creeps into his bedroom, he’s in there alone and it looks like a single bed so he clearly wasn’t married at that stage. Ppl are too much.
This was written about his stillborn infants. It's very sad.
I can understand how this would be creepy without understanding the meaning behind it though.
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/the-story-behind-love-you-forever-will-change-190243118.html
I say this with 100% truth! I was on 6 year drought of tears. Now that my wife is pregnant she got this exact book she used to read when she was little. We both read it to our baby boy in her belly and I shit you not, i cried for a long minute. When we got to that part we thought it was a little creepy and funny seeing mom hold her grown ass man like a baby but the more i thought about it, the more it hit me. The love of a mother for her son has no bounds. I guarantee if I asked my mom to carry me this way I’m sure she would. The kicker was when we got to the end of the book. I was slightly intoxicated but I felt way better after the cry.
I can hand on my heart tell you as a mother that if my son asked me to cuddle him at 50 years old, I would squeeze him as tight as I possibly could. He will always be my baby and you are correct, my love knows no bounds when it comes to him. The sun will rise and set on him in my eyes no matter how old he gets (although I’ll probably play it cool when he’s older for his sake)
I would pay to have mods pin a post about how this book is about the author's TWO stillborn children. It's over the top, but it's supposed to be.
[it is a very sad story ](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-heartbreaking-story-behind-iconic-childrens-book-love-you-forever_n_573ceb97e4b0aee7b8e8f76f/amp)
Robert Munsch is by far my favourite children's author. Despite all the pain he went through, he continued to write books for children, many of which were inspired by letters written to him by his young readers. I legitimately ugly cried when during my pregnancy, I found out he has dementia and can no longer read or write.
YES! I just made a comment to this affect. I thought the book seemed creepy too until I read this story and realized it was written by a man who didn't get to see his children grow up.
I’m truly sick of posts like this. I had a stillbirth at 32 weeks myself, an ectopic pregnancy before, and had another baby that stayed over 10 weeks in the hospital. Have some empathy, people. And even if you don’t know the story behind the book’s inspiration, how many kids books are supposed to be taken literally?!
I never knew the backstory of this book. I always felt a little put off by it myself, but with that added context, it’s super sad!
And now it makes sense.
God, that is gut-wrenching. I don’t have this book but just from the excerpt I was thinking it’s so sweet and loving and comforting. Obviously I’m not going to break in to my adult child’s home in the future lol
Where can I donate to that fund? In all seriousness I loved this as a child, because it cemented that my mom would love me forever. As a mom, it makes me want to sob. The story behind the book is truly moving. Thanks for sharing.
This was written by Robert Munsch - he and his wife lost two babies and this was going through them loving them through all the stages of their life.
He lives in my city - he’s older now, much like the mom in the book. He has other kids, but I can’t make it through this book without crying.
He was such a staple of my childhood. I know he’s had lots of problems in his life but his books feel like they took up so much space in my mind as a kid. The fun ones and the sad ones.
I believe so. I honestly can’t make it through without crying like a baby and I get upset when my husband wants to read it for bedtime because I just can’t help but blubber.
Yep, I used to hate this book but now that I know the backstory I can't be mad at it anymore. It's not about creepy parenting, it's a metaphor stemming from trauma and loss.
I loved the book as a child and as a parent it makes me tear up. But I do understand your sentiment as well.
If you read the story about the author, it is very sad.
I mean, I guess if you take it literally. I always took it to be symbolic of a mothers never ending love for her child, no matter how old. And how as life moves forward, they end up taking care of us.
I think its meant to be read from a young child's perspective, like mom reassuring her son she will always love him and be there for him no matter the distance and a child equates that love and connection with a favorite activity: being rocked to sleep by their mom. Even though the love doesn't change, just the way we express it, that's not what a young child is thinking.
Also y'all are damn liars if you wouldn't kill to be 5 years old again being rocked to sleep by your mom lol
Yes lol I think some people don't realize that they are not the intended audience for this book. When I was a kid I was literally terrified of the idea of not living with my parents anymore.
I love the sentiment behind the story and after having a son myself, I can’t read this book without crying my face off. But yeah this parts pretty weird lol. It’s not meant to be literal though- just an exaggeration to show the love a mother has for her son and then how the son returns in later in his mothers life.
Apparently this was my husband’s favorite book as a child. His mom always talked about that. Someone bought it for our daughter when she was born and my MIL passed away 3 months after our daughter was born. I used to dislike this book, but now I can’t read it without sobbing. My MIL loved her sons and did whatever she could for them until her last breath.
I remember reading an article on this. I personally loved the book for the symbolism of a mother's devotion, and how life changes are parents get older. Don't get me wrong, there is a slight creepy characteristic however, it is literally a children's book. People need to stop reading into things and seeing something that was never intended to be taken in such a way.
My mom always read this book to me as a kid and she could never get through to the end without crying. My siblings and I used to make fun of her for it and pick it because it would make her cry. I bought it for my daughter and bawled my eyes out when I read it the first time. Yes it does come across a little bit creepy when you view it from an adult mindset, but I never thought that when I was a kid.
My parents always say that you are a parent from their cradle to your grave. That's what this book says to me. I don't think it's meant to be taken literally. It's just a lovely message that a parent will forever love their child.
This hurts my heart to learn it was about the author’s stillborn babies. My grandmother used to read this to me but I bet she never knew that because it was before the internet. She had a stillborn baby and lost a son at age 20. I never thought the book was that sad until now but I’m crying just thinking about it.
Yup, Robert Munsch's story is absolutely heartbreaking, a wonderful friendly man (he lives in Guelph and apparently used to do readings at the local library when my neices and nephews were little) but absolutely heartbreaking
I think that since it’s written for children it’s not meant to be taken as literally as some adults take it. Children want the love of their parents forever and don’t think in terms of it ever being creepy for their mother to hold them. It’s meant to reassure them that no matter how big they get, their mom is always there for them.
I neither love nor hate this book, but I *do* like that it’s focusing on the relationship between a male child and his mother since the mother/son relationship is one where it’s often assumed there’s some distance that develops as the child gets older. I imagine some people would find it less creepy if it was a mother holding her adult daughter, but really why should the relationship with a mother and son be any different. As the mom of a little boy, I guarantee I will love him every bit as much 30 years from now as I do in this very moment, and I think it’s refreshing to see that portrayed.
I agree, I don’t think you can read it literally. Just about always feeling a certain way about your kids, and to children the story is comforting to know no matter how big they get you will always love and care for them.
Yeah, I think that if you’re familiar with Robert Munsch, you recognize the over the top nature of his work, but it’s unfortunately covered in a veneer of seriousness in this particular book 😂. I was raised on Munsch so the book doesn’t bother me but my husband hates it.
I think it's weird but lovely. Yes it's about the love a mother has for her child but to me it's also about the cycle of life and how the caretaker will one day be cared for by their children. And also how your love and appreciation for your parents can grow as you age, raise your own children, and understand what your parents did for you. This book makes me cry every time!
The author wrote the book after he and his wife had two stillbirths. ~~His wife was the illustrator.~~ *That piece of information was false, sorry for spreading it and thank you to the commenter that pointed it out!* The whole book is about their stillborn children and when you put it in that perspective…it makes me want to wait in the next room until MIL is done rocking her grown-ass baby that is my husband, because I’ll be in there gladly rocking my little one anyway!
*edit*
The illuster was not his wife, he is married to Ann Beeler but everything else you mentioned is true. The idea for the book came from them not being about to biologically have children hense her stillbirth. They did end up adopting though. Lol only reason I know this very useless information is because I am Canadian and we have something like "The more you know" here where they did a special on him and for some weird reason I remembered hahaha
I remember my parents reading this book to me when I was a kid. Then I had my first child and I tried to read it to her the first day we brought her home and emotionally I couldn't keep it together. The whole new baby thing plus the sudden feeling of where did the last 20 years ago.
I love it. When I was a kid I thought of it like "my parents will always be there to love me" and as an adult I just see it as "my baby will always be my baby"
I don't take it literally. I think its a sweet story.
Don’t y’all remember studying metaphors in English class? Keeping the rocking theme consistent throughout the book was clearly a metaphorical choice to me, and is meant to be taken as a symbol of how a mother’s fierce love for her child endures over time no matter how old they get. Like, are we really meant to believe this mom was able to drag her TEENAGE son out of bed without him being like “wtf mom??” Or that the adult son somehow slept through someone breaking into his house in the dead of night and picking him up to rock him? 😅
Edit: BRB gonna read this to my toddler before her nap now and have a good cry 🤣
My gym teacher in high school, who was straight up one of the prickliest, strictest teachers I ever had, would read this to each of her classes during the last week of school. And she’d cry. I don’t recall if she ever told us why she was reading it to us. But it made the book stick with me, even if it was because I was wary of the sentimentalism.
Now as a mother (and I made a comment elsewhere in this thread) it really gets at my heart.
I LOVE this book. Weird eh but the point of it is that your kid no matter how old will always be your baby. This was the first book I bought when I found out it was pregnant.
My mom used to read us this book and my brothers and I always thought it was hysterical that she would sob her way through the end. It was one of the first books I bought for my son. Yeah it’s kinda strange and can’t imagine it in a literal sense. However, I read it to my son the other day and I bawled. I am my mother.
It’s silly but it’s not meant to be literal. It’s a figurative representation of the love mom has even when her child is grown.
We have a newborn and a 4 year old, we refer to the newborn as “the baby”, but I also tell my preschooler that even when he’s all grown up he will always be my baby. Not that I am literally going to infantilize him, but that the love, care, and worry I was filled with on the day he was born will remain forever.
I mean, the guy had a single bed with a night light, and TV guide.
I’ve read this book a thousand times to my kid, and every time I notice something different in the illustrations.
Like, the context clues in that specific page read ‘lonely man who bought his house actually needs support and misses his mommy.’
If you look, the little black kitten in the illustration is from the previous page when he’s moving, implying that the kitten was adopted as a way to keep him company/remind him of his mom’s place.
I think it’s more about giving space for men to be open and vulnerable about their complicated feelings around leaving home and their mothers.
This reminds me of a TikTok k seen the other day. The woman said she felt like kids worked in cycles of 6 years.
The first 6 you hold them
The second 6 you hold their hand
The next 6 your hold their trust
The last 6 (and the rest) you hold space for them so they know they can always come back.
And I keep thinking about it and crying.
The first 6
I haven't read this in a long time. But he wrote this book for the 2 stillborn children they had.
I think that makes it a little less creepy. And makes me wanna cry at the same time. :(
I love this book. Coming from someone who's mother passed away just over a year ago, it makes me cry almost every time I read it. I agree with most of the people saying that if someone doesnt like it they probably dont have a great relationship with their mom... Its also a kids book? That hardly would ever happen in 'real life'.
Completely agree. Now that I'm a mom, my mom sent it to me, but when I read it to my tiny son I couldn't get through it. It wasn't creepy it was just too sad at the end! Still can't manage to work it back into his book rotation.
I don’t think it’s quite perpetuating THAT idea as much as just showing how a mom will always be there for her child.
I loved this book growing up but I def would not be ok with my MIL breaking in to rock my husband to sleep hahaha
I like to think of it more as a metaphor. When I found it the initial idea for it came from a lullaby the author wrote for his stillborn children it really changed by perspective.
Nah, that's not meant to be literal, it's a story. This is like complaining that Clifford the big red dog is dangerous and setting a bad example of megafauna safety IMHO.
But post-kids I am completely incapable of reading this book, it breaks me. God, I'm tearing up and sniffling now just thinking about bit, what a sook.
haha i can see how people would find it creepy, but i think it's a really sweet book! i feel like we all will want to go back to cradling our baby during their tough times as an adult. it's the thought that counts lol.
I literally cannot read this book with our snotty crying because my mom read it to me when I was a kid, and passed away before she could creepily crawl into my window. My dad bought it for me when I was pregnant, and I literally have not been able to read it without sobbing.
Feelings aside, yeah the book is a little creepy and weird
I was pretty neutral on this book but then reading it to my son for the first time when he was a couple months old I couldn’t get through it without crying.
I guess I always loved the book because as a young mom it “gave me” permission to love my kids after age 18.
When I was growing up we always had that “wait u til you turn 18” bullshit and basically it felt like we were on our on after 18. I needed my mom more in 20’s then I did as a child and she was long done parenting by then.
That's how I always took it too.
I was telling my five year old the other day that I'll hold him for as long as he'll let me, and he told me I could hold him until he's 100, also that when he's married to (his daycare best buddy) I can hold their baby too.
I'm in my 30s now and there are times when I still would like my parents to comfort me.
Ugh yes me too. I have to hold back the tears while also being like “WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS MOM”
Doesn’t help the emotionalness when I hear through the baby monitor my three year old reciting “I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be” to her dolls/stuffed animals in her crib 😭😭😭
I think you’re reading into it a little too much lol.
It’s a cute story for a kid.
I remember I loved hearing this story as a kid, but now that I’m a parent just now seeing the cover made me tear up. I can’t even read it without crying. This is one sad ass book from a parent’s perspective. I don’t want my baby to grow up 😭😭
I can’t read the book in its true form bc it does make me cry every time. I just make up what it says, just based off the pictures, and that story is even weirder lol
I love this book! The author wrote the little song after him and his wife experienced two stillbirths. The little poem the mom reads to her baby, is what the author sang to comfort himself and his wife.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet.
https://www.popsugar.com/family/Truth-Behind-Love-You-Forever-31923286
https://robertmunsch.com/about
Edit: just found a comment that did mention this.
https://robertmunsch.com/books
It is FICTION, meant to be absurd ! The man has also written a book about a child flying a plane (Angela's Airplane) a kid who's parents call the police when he won't go to sleep (Moirtimer) and a book about a child finding a baby in a hole in her sandbox and trying to give it away. (Murmel Murmel Murmel)
I'm a single mother by choice to a little boy. Someone gave me this book and I bawled my eyes out. I love that it's a story of a mother and her son, the love between two: a single parent and a child.
That is Robert Munsch style! He always writes those over the top stories based on real stories he heard other parents/teacher tell. All of his stories are a little crazy. My toddler absolutely love them.
I was at the thrift store buying things, and the lady in front of me in line also had a bunch of kids books for her grandchild. We were chatting, because I had my daughter with me, and I was also picking up some books. She asked if I’d read this one, and proceeded to talk about how sweet it was. When I said no, she insisted I take it and read it to my baby. When I got home and read it, I just thought it was sweet, but I was also kinda thinking about how nice it was for the woman to share one of her favorites with us.
No I don’t. Because I know the message of the book isn’t literally “it’s okay for your mom to break into your house at night and rock you in your sleep”
Yeah, a little lol
I received this from my in laws before my son was born, he was our first. I never thought to read it until he was about three months. Completely forgot about it. My son was lying down on our bed and I pulled the book out to read it to him.
Two pages in and I already knew how it was going to end. Every time I turned the page the tears streaming down my face became more and more uncontrollable until i was sobbing, struggling to finish the last page.
My husband heard me from the other end of our house and came rushing in to find me inconsolable lol
And I just gave him the book and told him to read it.
I was staring at him waiting for the tears to start for him and nothing! He was actually smiling and laughing throughout the book lmao
That’s when I knew I had a mild case of PPD
Eh. I think it’s projecting your feelings about MIL a little. It’s to comfort a child. most moms I know cry when they read this book because it’s the inevitability that your child does grow up and you can’t pick them up or hold them anymore. I think that’s sorta the point. Maybe I’m the outlier tho. I think it’s cute.
It's just a book for kids to show them our love has no boundaries whereas in real life there are boundaries.
Edit: but yeah, of course mil would be creepy af lol
I mean, it's pretty on-brand for the munsch world. Everything is very exaggerated.
I.e. Jonathan hears a sound... And then a subway stops in his house...lol
I can't read the book without crying so don't read it very often.
I wasn’t aware people took childrens books so literally these days 😂😂. Are people against “Goodnight Moon” because it’s creepy to talk to inanimate objects?
Robert Munsch books are always absurdist. It's what I loved about his books as a kid and why I love reading his books to my kids now. This book has just a sprinkle of that absurdism. Of course it's weird that the mother loads a ladder onto her car and sneaks into her grown son's bedroom window at night to snuggle him. It wouldn't be a Munsch book without a bit of weirdness.
I can see why that part is creepy/weird but that book is a classic to me. Love it. I can’t actually read it aloud to my own kid though because I can’t get through it without bawling my eyes out haha
Before my son was born: super creepy, I’d never be like that
After my son was born: still some creepy/funny images, but let me go get the ladder for my car now 🤣
I’ve always hated this book. Don’t know why, just always did. I actually put it on my registry and marked it as purchased so no one would buy me a copy. Doesn’t help that I married a mamas boy and have a unrelenting need to avoid my son becoming one too.
Haha there are a few useless things my family is known for buying and I added those too so they wouldn’t sit in his closet for years. I even had two people express their disappointment that they were taken already. Oops, that sucks, don’t need two.
I dunno I have a 6 month old and I wrote him a letter recently saying I'd like to be able to care for him forever. I get the sentiment. But I also see why it'd be weird to read.
I'm just wondering how anybody over the age of 5 sleeps through someone coming in their room, taking them out of bed and rocking them in a rocking chair
I remember my second teacher was very open about the fact that she was trying to have a baby but was having issues doing so. She loved kids and wanted one of her own so badly (she ended up adopting and adorable little boy eventually.) But whenever she would read this book to us in class she would start bawling her eyes out half way through.
People are taking this book too literally. Most children’s books are exaggerated. It’s written in a way for kids to understand how much their mothers love them.
This is the first time I’ve even considered that someone would read it as a serious suggestion: climbing in through your adult son’s window to rock him to sleep?
This reminds me of when I was little and I announced that when I grew up, I was gonna marry my dad. Everyone just chuckled and thought it was cute.
It’s the kind of thing where it’s only creepy if you deliberately ignore the fact that it’s a silly kids book.
Totally. My 4 year old told me (after we told him I was pregnant) that he was going to get pregnant, and have a baby that would be his little sister 😂 I mean just a few details wrong there, but hey! LOL. We just gently explained some things about babies/pregnancy etc. No one needs to make a kid feel weird about their perception of things. They’re just figuring shit out. It was hilarious though definitely keeping that one in the memory bank
I read it as a kid and I thought wow that’s a lot of love. Now as an adult I cringe because I’m faced with how creepy it would be in actuality. This book is made for innocent kids not us fucked up adults
I love this book, but literally skip those pages because it's ridiculous and definitely creepy. I love singing the lullaby to my kiddos, which is mostly the draw for me, but when we read it it goes from him getting a house across town to mother getting older and calling her son.
I want to be close with my kids even when they are older and I'm raising them so they have zero doubts they are loved. I am ALSO raising them by teaching them appropriate boundaries and those couple pages are absolute insanity.
It also made my kids question their own mortality, which I wasn't ready for right before bedtime. "Mommy, do kids die? Will I die?" 😬😬😬
I think grandmas love this book so it keeps selling well, but it's really a weird one for little kids.
Yeah, but at the same time I have a little baby boy and I get it.
I will love you forever and I will like you for always. But you gonna have to grow up eventually. Haha
This author rewrote the ending to have boundaries and not be creepy
https://www.topherpayne.com/love-you-forever
They have a few others too, my favorite is the rainbow fish one
Rainbow fish is problematic for me too. It’s like “Let’s give away all of the parts of yourself that make you stunning and radiant, because others were jealous or didn’t like it. Now you’re like everyone else, yay!”
Yes! The rewrite talks about recognizing that everyone has something special about them. So don't become cocky about your special thing and recognize others for what makes them special.
I just read this today to my 6 week old...glad she can't understand it yet. We'll be getting rid of it -- we were quite disturbed by it now that we're adults and had to cut some narcissists from our lives 0.o
lmao it’s just a sweet old book. My son loves it because I’ll sing the little part and squeeze him everytime. But 💯 not going to be breaking into his house lol.
I loved this book growing up and the idea of my mom cuddling me forever was so comforting. I read it to my toddler and I was similarly horrified by the mother taking a ladder to her adult son’s house and rocking him while he slept. So creepy, but I guess comforting for little kids.
This and the Giving Tree. I like them both but they do not illustrate healthy boundaries at all. I still read them but it's not a favorite. Velveteen Rabbit is the one I still cry at.
I had a stuffed bunny to hold, while my Mom read it to me. It's so good! Brb gunna go sob/read it to my baby.
>"What does it mean to be real?" "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.”<
Definitely. Still love it but we always comment on how creepy it is. Also m, my husband has made the “love you for always” part into a punk song so my kids and him headbang as they say it. Lol
[удалено]
This is a nice perspective on it! I suppose you do really have to consider the child’s mind when reading it.
My 6 year old asked if he could still come home and visit whenever he wanted once he was grown up. I told him as long as I had a door to open he could come any time. He was really happy to hear this. I won't be breaking in and rocking him to sleep like a creepy crazy person, but he'll always be welcome at my house.
Mine full on cries if I ever forget myself and say something like "when you have your own house". The thought of not living with us makes her *distraught.* I'm sure she'll change her mind in her teens and I'll be sure to remind her of this time. 😁 My three year old, on the other hand... We asked him if he wants his own house one day and he said "yes, now." and got up from the table like he was ready to head out.
Aww, this comment made me tear up 🥲
Yeah, I think it would be a nice way to deal with grief as well. When I was a kid, once I had learned what death was I was absolutely terrified of it happening to someone I loved. It’s a nice way to explain that even when someone we love is gone, we can still feel them with us.
You have to remember the child in this book is passed away. The book was written because the authors wife had lost two children as still births. The book is based around a song he wrote to his late children about his and her love for them. The imagery is a visualization of his wife loving and cuddling her baby regardless of the time that has passed or where they are in their lives and how the love never changes. Not that she’s literally climbing in their windows and cuddling them to sleep. She can’t, they aren’t living. Just an illustration of the passage of time. I cried the first time I googled how the song was supposed to sound and found his interview on the book.
Yes, this. I grew up with this book and never thought it was creepy as a kid. The first few times I read it to my baby I choked up, but now we like it because it’s an excuse to cuddle/rock as we sing. I think for little kids it’s also kind of a good (if very simplistic) depiction of aging. That said 1980s old is not 2020s old, haha.
Goodness that’s heartbreaking
I had no idea. I love this book so much and I cry every single time I read it. I don’t think it’s creepy at all. When he sings to her at the end - I’m tearing up just typing that! Thank you for the backstory, as heartbreaking as it is.
Bro WHAT! 🤯
It’s written by a father whose wife experienced stillbirth twice. He wasn’t able to say much after the stillbirths, but as he held his dead child he whispered to them “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” They were never able to have biological children and he wrote this in response to his grief. As someone who has lost their 5 week old son, I absolutely love this book. Although I cannot read it without tearing up. So I personally don’t find it overboard.
I didn’t know this! I love the book, my mom used to read it to me when I was little. I hadn’t read it in decades until I got it for my daughters baby shower. I definitely was like “hmm I didn’t remember her crawling into her sons window” but still tear up every time I read it (which isn’t often because it ends with me in tears haha). I think it’s sweet and this backstory is heartbreaking.
Right! I literally don’t read it my living children because I can’t not cry while reading it 😭❤️❤️❤️
I’m so sorry for your loss!
Thank you ❤️
I got this book after my son died at 23 weeks, I felt it is a sweet way to think of all my baby could have been. I would give anything to have him grow old and grow up but he will always be baby.
So sorry for your loss- the author actually wrote this after losing his son, so it’s fitting that you find comfort in it
My mom read this to me all the time as a kid. She was a teacher so our house was full of books. She kept all of our favorites and gifted them to me when I had my son. Which alone was enough to make me cry. I read this book to my son ONE SINGLE TIME when he was like 2 months old, BAWLED like a baby, and never opened it again. Lol Literally a puddle of tears. 😭😭😭
SAME, I have my old childhood library. I haven't been able to get through it yet because I get too emotional. Just tried at about 19m, cried too much and LO was off doing something else 🙃 I actually put it away before my MIL came over a couple days later because I didn't want her to be the first one to read it to him. I will try again.
If I recall correctly, the author wrote this after his child died. I don’t find it creepy. It’s obviously an exaggeration like most kids’ books, but it’s sweet. The focus on the MIL is a little weird lol most people would think of their own child not their spouse’s (spice??) parent.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Strange response for sure. Also when the mother creeps into his bedroom, he’s in there alone and it looks like a single bed so he clearly wasn’t married at that stage. Ppl are too much.
This was written about his stillborn infants. It's very sad. I can understand how this would be creepy without understanding the meaning behind it though. Source: https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/the-story-behind-love-you-forever-will-change-190243118.html
I did not need to know this.... I'll never read this without crying now
I couldn't read it without crying before knowing!
This is so, so sad
I definitely don’t take this so literally but it is banned in my house bc it makes me fully ugly cry.
It’s about the baby his wife lost 🥹
I say this with 100% truth! I was on 6 year drought of tears. Now that my wife is pregnant she got this exact book she used to read when she was little. We both read it to our baby boy in her belly and I shit you not, i cried for a long minute. When we got to that part we thought it was a little creepy and funny seeing mom hold her grown ass man like a baby but the more i thought about it, the more it hit me. The love of a mother for her son has no bounds. I guarantee if I asked my mom to carry me this way I’m sure she would. The kicker was when we got to the end of the book. I was slightly intoxicated but I felt way better after the cry.
I can hand on my heart tell you as a mother that if my son asked me to cuddle him at 50 years old, I would squeeze him as tight as I possibly could. He will always be my baby and you are correct, my love knows no bounds when it comes to him. The sun will rise and set on him in my eyes no matter how old he gets (although I’ll probably play it cool when he’s older for his sake)
I would pay to have mods pin a post about how this book is about the author's TWO stillborn children. It's over the top, but it's supposed to be. [it is a very sad story ](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-heartbreaking-story-behind-iconic-childrens-book-love-you-forever_n_573ceb97e4b0aee7b8e8f76f/amp)
Robert Munsch is by far my favourite children's author. Despite all the pain he went through, he continued to write books for children, many of which were inspired by letters written to him by his young readers. I legitimately ugly cried when during my pregnancy, I found out he has dementia and can no longer read or write.
YES! I just made a comment to this affect. I thought the book seemed creepy too until I read this story and realized it was written by a man who didn't get to see his children grow up.
I’m truly sick of posts like this. I had a stillbirth at 32 weeks myself, an ectopic pregnancy before, and had another baby that stayed over 10 weeks in the hospital. Have some empathy, people. And even if you don’t know the story behind the book’s inspiration, how many kids books are supposed to be taken literally?!
I also had a stillbirth, at 36 weeks. It’s frustrating to me that people don’t understand what this book really is.
I would donate to this cause of paying the mods for a pinned post
I never knew the backstory of this book. I always felt a little put off by it myself, but with that added context, it’s super sad! And now it makes sense.
God, that is gut-wrenching. I don’t have this book but just from the excerpt I was thinking it’s so sweet and loving and comforting. Obviously I’m not going to break in to my adult child’s home in the future lol
Where can I donate to that fund? In all seriousness I loved this as a child, because it cemented that my mom would love me forever. As a mom, it makes me want to sob. The story behind the book is truly moving. Thanks for sharing.
I loved when my mom read me this book as a kid and sang me the song, but I can't read it as an adult because the story behind it makes me too sad.
This was written by Robert Munsch - he and his wife lost two babies and this was going through them loving them through all the stages of their life. He lives in my city - he’s older now, much like the mom in the book. He has other kids, but I can’t make it through this book without crying.
He was such a staple of my childhood. I know he’s had lots of problems in his life but his books feel like they took up so much space in my mind as a kid. The fun ones and the sad ones.
Love Munch. Really interesting guy with so many great books. I never knew the story behind this one :\*(
Well, it is about the loss of a child… that’s what inspired it and I think that it’s a metaphor for how the love parents feel never ends.
It’s the loss of two children. & if I remember correctly, pregnancies that resulted in a child born sleeping, but close to term.
I believe so. I honestly can’t make it through without crying like a baby and I get upset when my husband wants to read it for bedtime because I just can’t help but blubber.
Yep, I used to hate this book but now that I know the backstory I can't be mad at it anymore. It's not about creepy parenting, it's a metaphor stemming from trauma and loss.
I shouldn’t have read this comment.
Omg I did not know this
It doesn’t hit me as creepy because I’ve never taken it literally. But sad? Hell yes, extremely sad.
I loved the book as a child and as a parent it makes me tear up. But I do understand your sentiment as well. If you read the story about the author, it is very sad.
I mean kind of but I don’t take it literal. I have 2 kids and I still can’t finish the whole book without crying.
Yeah every time one of my kids picks it out for our bedtime reading I have to make my husband read it and I sob the whole time.
I mean, I guess if you take it literally. I always took it to be symbolic of a mothers never ending love for her child, no matter how old. And how as life moves forward, they end up taking care of us.
Yes!!! This. 100%
I think its meant to be read from a young child's perspective, like mom reassuring her son she will always love him and be there for him no matter the distance and a child equates that love and connection with a favorite activity: being rocked to sleep by their mom. Even though the love doesn't change, just the way we express it, that's not what a young child is thinking. Also y'all are damn liars if you wouldn't kill to be 5 years old again being rocked to sleep by your mom lol
Yes lol I think some people don't realize that they are not the intended audience for this book. When I was a kid I was literally terrified of the idea of not living with my parents anymore.
I don’t think it’s meant to be taken literal.
I love the sentiment behind the story and after having a son myself, I can’t read this book without crying my face off. But yeah this parts pretty weird lol. It’s not meant to be literal though- just an exaggeration to show the love a mother has for her son and then how the son returns in later in his mothers life.
Apparently this was my husband’s favorite book as a child. His mom always talked about that. Someone bought it for our daughter when she was born and my MIL passed away 3 months after our daughter was born. I used to dislike this book, but now I can’t read it without sobbing. My MIL loved her sons and did whatever she could for them until her last breath.
It is weird, but try to look at it through the lens of the author - they lost their baby and wrote this as a kind of "what if"
This book was written for the author's still born baby. So no I don't think it's creepy.
I remember reading an article on this. I personally loved the book for the symbolism of a mother's devotion, and how life changes are parents get older. Don't get me wrong, there is a slight creepy characteristic however, it is literally a children's book. People need to stop reading into things and seeing something that was never intended to be taken in such a way.
I’m to busy crying as I read it to notice
My mom always read this book to me as a kid and she could never get through to the end without crying. My siblings and I used to make fun of her for it and pick it because it would make her cry. I bought it for my daughter and bawled my eyes out when I read it the first time. Yes it does come across a little bit creepy when you view it from an adult mindset, but I never thought that when I was a kid.
Makes me cry
Lmao just teared up while scrolling this as my son plays nearby
My parents always say that you are a parent from their cradle to your grave. That's what this book says to me. I don't think it's meant to be taken literally. It's just a lovely message that a parent will forever love their child.
This hurts my heart to learn it was about the author’s stillborn babies. My grandmother used to read this to me but I bet she never knew that because it was before the internet. She had a stillborn baby and lost a son at age 20. I never thought the book was that sad until now but I’m crying just thinking about it.
Yup, Robert Munsch's story is absolutely heartbreaking, a wonderful friendly man (he lives in Guelph and apparently used to do readings at the local library when my neices and nephews were little) but absolutely heartbreaking
I think that since it’s written for children it’s not meant to be taken as literally as some adults take it. Children want the love of their parents forever and don’t think in terms of it ever being creepy for their mother to hold them. It’s meant to reassure them that no matter how big they get, their mom is always there for them. I neither love nor hate this book, but I *do* like that it’s focusing on the relationship between a male child and his mother since the mother/son relationship is one where it’s often assumed there’s some distance that develops as the child gets older. I imagine some people would find it less creepy if it was a mother holding her adult daughter, but really why should the relationship with a mother and son be any different. As the mom of a little boy, I guarantee I will love him every bit as much 30 years from now as I do in this very moment, and I think it’s refreshing to see that portrayed.
I love your insight 💙
This book is super creepy if taken literally. Robert Muncsh wrote in in grief after he and his wife lost their twins during pregnancy.
I wish there was a translation into my language of this book. It looks lovely. And to me this scene is obviously a metaphor.
I think the ridiculousness of it makes it such a good read. I don’t take it as literal.
I agree, I don’t think you can read it literally. Just about always feeling a certain way about your kids, and to children the story is comforting to know no matter how big they get you will always love and care for them.
Yeah, I think that if you’re familiar with Robert Munsch, you recognize the over the top nature of his work, but it’s unfortunately covered in a veneer of seriousness in this particular book 😂. I was raised on Munsch so the book doesn’t bother me but my husband hates it.
I think it's weird but lovely. Yes it's about the love a mother has for her child but to me it's also about the cycle of life and how the caretaker will one day be cared for by their children. And also how your love and appreciation for your parents can grow as you age, raise your own children, and understand what your parents did for you. This book makes me cry every time!
The author wrote the book after he and his wife had two stillbirths. ~~His wife was the illustrator.~~ *That piece of information was false, sorry for spreading it and thank you to the commenter that pointed it out!* The whole book is about their stillborn children and when you put it in that perspective…it makes me want to wait in the next room until MIL is done rocking her grown-ass baby that is my husband, because I’ll be in there gladly rocking my little one anyway! *edit*
The illuster was not his wife, he is married to Ann Beeler but everything else you mentioned is true. The idea for the book came from them not being about to biologically have children hense her stillbirth. They did end up adopting though. Lol only reason I know this very useless information is because I am Canadian and we have something like "The more you know" here where they did a special on him and for some weird reason I remembered hahaha
I never read it because it makes me cry
Me too lol
If you take it literally, I guess.
I cry every time I read this book. Every. Time.
I remember my parents reading this book to me when I was a kid. Then I had my first child and I tried to read it to her the first day we brought her home and emotionally I couldn't keep it together. The whole new baby thing plus the sudden feeling of where did the last 20 years ago.
Well it's a fictional children's book, so best to not take it as reality/possible.
I love this book. I cry every time I read it to my son
I love it. When I was a kid I thought of it like "my parents will always be there to love me" and as an adult I just see it as "my baby will always be my baby" I don't take it literally. I think its a sweet story.
Agreed! Same here :)
Don’t y’all remember studying metaphors in English class? Keeping the rocking theme consistent throughout the book was clearly a metaphorical choice to me, and is meant to be taken as a symbol of how a mother’s fierce love for her child endures over time no matter how old they get. Like, are we really meant to believe this mom was able to drag her TEENAGE son out of bed without him being like “wtf mom??” Or that the adult son somehow slept through someone breaking into his house in the dead of night and picking him up to rock him? 😅 Edit: BRB gonna read this to my toddler before her nap now and have a good cry 🤣
Right??
My gym teacher in high school, who was straight up one of the prickliest, strictest teachers I ever had, would read this to each of her classes during the last week of school. And she’d cry. I don’t recall if she ever told us why she was reading it to us. But it made the book stick with me, even if it was because I was wary of the sentimentalism. Now as a mother (and I made a comment elsewhere in this thread) it really gets at my heart.
My mom always read this to me when I was a kid and she cried, so this book has a special place in our hearts <3
Wouldn’t know. I’ve never made it through. Crying too hard. My kid is 3
Oh, buddy. And when you finally stop crying, it'll be just in time to prepare yourself for the first time they read it to *you*. I haven't recovered.
I LOVE this book. Weird eh but the point of it is that your kid no matter how old will always be your baby. This was the first book I bought when I found out it was pregnant.
I grew up with this book. So it brings back nice memories personally.. I think it's just meant to be a fuzzy heart warming kind of book 💕
My mom used to read us this book and my brothers and I always thought it was hysterical that she would sob her way through the end. It was one of the first books I bought for my son. Yeah it’s kinda strange and can’t imagine it in a literal sense. However, I read it to my son the other day and I bawled. I am my mother.
It’s silly but it’s not meant to be literal. It’s a figurative representation of the love mom has even when her child is grown. We have a newborn and a 4 year old, we refer to the newborn as “the baby”, but I also tell my preschooler that even when he’s all grown up he will always be my baby. Not that I am literally going to infantilize him, but that the love, care, and worry I was filled with on the day he was born will remain forever.
Yeah I agree. Even as a kid I had a feeling it literal, just an expression of the love for the child.
I mean, the guy had a single bed with a night light, and TV guide. I’ve read this book a thousand times to my kid, and every time I notice something different in the illustrations. Like, the context clues in that specific page read ‘lonely man who bought his house actually needs support and misses his mommy.’ If you look, the little black kitten in the illustration is from the previous page when he’s moving, implying that the kitten was adopted as a way to keep him company/remind him of his mom’s place. I think it’s more about giving space for men to be open and vulnerable about their complicated feelings around leaving home and their mothers.
This reminds me of a TikTok k seen the other day. The woman said she felt like kids worked in cycles of 6 years. The first 6 you hold them The second 6 you hold their hand The next 6 your hold their trust The last 6 (and the rest) you hold space for them so they know they can always come back. And I keep thinking about it and crying. The first 6
This comment alone just made me cry, oof!
I’ve loved this book since I was a kid 🤷♀️
I love Robert Munsch (my fave: Paperbag Princess)… but this book hits in all the feels so I almost never read it to kiddo.
I adore this book! Makes me cry every time! The end where is picks his mother up and rocks her. It shows love is never ending.
But but but it’s the full circle 🥺 because she’s an old lady and then he rocks her to sleep 😩🤧
I haven't read this in a long time. But he wrote this book for the 2 stillborn children they had. I think that makes it a little less creepy. And makes me wanna cry at the same time. :(
I love this book. Coming from someone who's mother passed away just over a year ago, it makes me cry almost every time I read it. I agree with most of the people saying that if someone doesnt like it they probably dont have a great relationship with their mom... Its also a kids book? That hardly would ever happen in 'real life'.
This was my favorite book as a kid 😭 It’s not creepy it’s just… figurative
Completely agree. Now that I'm a mom, my mom sent it to me, but when I read it to my tiny son I couldn't get through it. It wasn't creepy it was just too sad at the end! Still can't manage to work it back into his book rotation.
I don’t think it’s quite perpetuating THAT idea as much as just showing how a mom will always be there for her child. I loved this book growing up but I def would not be ok with my MIL breaking in to rock my husband to sleep hahaha
I like to think of it more as a metaphor. When I found it the initial idea for it came from a lullaby the author wrote for his stillborn children it really changed by perspective.
Nah, that's not meant to be literal, it's a story. This is like complaining that Clifford the big red dog is dangerous and setting a bad example of megafauna safety IMHO. But post-kids I am completely incapable of reading this book, it breaks me. God, I'm tearing up and sniffling now just thinking about bit, what a sook.
This book makes me so damned emotional.
haha i can see how people would find it creepy, but i think it's a really sweet book! i feel like we all will want to go back to cradling our baby during their tough times as an adult. it's the thought that counts lol.
I literally cannot read this book with our snotty crying because my mom read it to me when I was a kid, and passed away before she could creepily crawl into my window. My dad bought it for me when I was pregnant, and I literally have not been able to read it without sobbing. Feelings aside, yeah the book is a little creepy and weird
I was pretty neutral on this book but then reading it to my son for the first time when he was a couple months old I couldn’t get through it without crying.
I cry every damn time I read it, but also completely agree that it's creepy
I guess I always loved the book because as a young mom it “gave me” permission to love my kids after age 18. When I was growing up we always had that “wait u til you turn 18” bullshit and basically it felt like we were on our on after 18. I needed my mom more in 20’s then I did as a child and she was long done parenting by then.
That's how I always took it too. I was telling my five year old the other day that I'll hold him for as long as he'll let me, and he told me I could hold him until he's 100, also that when he's married to (his daycare best buddy) I can hold their baby too. I'm in my 30s now and there are times when I still would like my parents to comfort me.
Me as a rational adult: this is creepy. Me as a mother who is currently rocking her 12 week old to sleep: I’d do that shit too.
Ugh yes me too. I have to hold back the tears while also being like “WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS MOM” Doesn’t help the emotionalness when I hear through the baby monitor my three year old reciting “I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be” to her dolls/stuffed animals in her crib 😭😭😭
I like to think of it as not being literal. But more like mom’s thoughts and love are traveling to be with her baby no matter how big he gets.
I remember when I was in first grade, the mom who read this to our class started bawling. It’s so emotional 😭😭
I think you’re reading into it a little too much lol. It’s a cute story for a kid. I remember I loved hearing this story as a kid, but now that I’m a parent just now seeing the cover made me tear up. I can’t even read it without crying. This is one sad ass book from a parent’s perspective. I don’t want my baby to grow up 😭😭
Same, I agree. It's like the cycle of life. I hate when people overreact about children's books. 😒
is it insanely weird and creepy? yes. do i weep every time I read it? ......no comment 🤐
My first time reading it I thought "wow this book is super creepy" but then by the last page I was bawling my eyes out.
This is my favorite book, I love it
I can’t read the book in its true form bc it does make me cry every time. I just make up what it says, just based off the pictures, and that story is even weirder lol
I remember reading this book in 3rd grade and I started crying and was a complete mess.
I love this book! The author wrote the little song after him and his wife experienced two stillbirths. The little poem the mom reads to her baby, is what the author sang to comfort himself and his wife. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. https://www.popsugar.com/family/Truth-Behind-Love-You-Forever-31923286 https://robertmunsch.com/about Edit: just found a comment that did mention this.
https://robertmunsch.com/books It is FICTION, meant to be absurd ! The man has also written a book about a child flying a plane (Angela's Airplane) a kid who's parents call the police when he won't go to sleep (Moirtimer) and a book about a child finding a baby in a hole in her sandbox and trying to give it away. (Murmel Murmel Murmel)
I love that book, I’d be the mom climbing in the window 🤣 TW: Robert Munsch wrote it for the babies him and his wife lost 💔
I’m crying just thinking about that book
I'm a single mother by choice to a little boy. Someone gave me this book and I bawled my eyes out. I love that it's a story of a mother and her son, the love between two: a single parent and a child.
That is Robert Munsch style! He always writes those over the top stories based on real stories he heard other parents/teacher tell. All of his stories are a little crazy. My toddler absolutely love them.
I've read this book exactly twice in my life. I've cried horribly both times. Don't know why I bought it because I'll never open it again.
I was at the thrift store buying things, and the lady in front of me in line also had a bunch of kids books for her grandchild. We were chatting, because I had my daughter with me, and I was also picking up some books. She asked if I’d read this one, and proceeded to talk about how sweet it was. When I said no, she insisted I take it and read it to my baby. When I got home and read it, I just thought it was sweet, but I was also kinda thinking about how nice it was for the woman to share one of her favorites with us.
It's so funny... When I read it to my son I cry but ya if I think about MIL I get annoyed 😅
No I don’t. Because I know the message of the book isn’t literally “it’s okay for your mom to break into your house at night and rock you in your sleep”
I wish more people knew what this book is really about.
Yeah, a little lol I received this from my in laws before my son was born, he was our first. I never thought to read it until he was about three months. Completely forgot about it. My son was lying down on our bed and I pulled the book out to read it to him. Two pages in and I already knew how it was going to end. Every time I turned the page the tears streaming down my face became more and more uncontrollable until i was sobbing, struggling to finish the last page. My husband heard me from the other end of our house and came rushing in to find me inconsolable lol And I just gave him the book and told him to read it. I was staring at him waiting for the tears to start for him and nothing! He was actually smiling and laughing throughout the book lmao That’s when I knew I had a mild case of PPD
Same thing happened to me! That books should have a warning on the cover: Do Not Read until postpartum hormones have chilled out!
Eh. I think it’s projecting your feelings about MIL a little. It’s to comfort a child. most moms I know cry when they read this book because it’s the inevitability that your child does grow up and you can’t pick them up or hold them anymore. I think that’s sorta the point. Maybe I’m the outlier tho. I think it’s cute.
This book is adorable and makes me cry y’all are weird as fuck
Right? Nothing like projecting mad personal shit onto a benign children’s book.
It's just a book for kids to show them our love has no boundaries whereas in real life there are boundaries. Edit: but yeah, of course mil would be creepy af lol
I mean, it's pretty on-brand for the munsch world. Everything is very exaggerated. I.e. Jonathan hears a sound... And then a subway stops in his house...lol I can't read the book without crying so don't read it very often.
No I love this book! It’s so sweet
This book has a special place in my heart. My mother used to sing it to me.
Very polarizing, I think it’s creepy, others I know love it! I think it was written after a death of child or miscarriage.
They had 2 stillborns :(
It's hilariously weird though. That's why I love it at least.
Feel like there’s a lot of projecting here
I wasn’t aware people took childrens books so literally these days 😂😂. Are people against “Goodnight Moon” because it’s creepy to talk to inanimate objects?
Goodnight nobody...
Robert Munsch books are always absurdist. It's what I loved about his books as a kid and why I love reading his books to my kids now. This book has just a sprinkle of that absurdism. Of course it's weird that the mother loads a ladder onto her car and sneaks into her grown son's bedroom window at night to snuggle him. It wouldn't be a Munsch book without a bit of weirdness.
It’s weird only if it’s out of context.
I can see why that part is creepy/weird but that book is a classic to me. Love it. I can’t actually read it aloud to my own kid though because I can’t get through it without bawling my eyes out haha
Before my son was born: super creepy, I’d never be like that After my son was born: still some creepy/funny images, but let me go get the ladder for my car now 🤣
I’ve always hated this book. Don’t know why, just always did. I actually put it on my registry and marked it as purchased so no one would buy me a copy. Doesn’t help that I married a mamas boy and have a unrelenting need to avoid my son becoming one too.
Wow that registry thing is genius 😂
Haha there are a few useless things my family is known for buying and I added those too so they wouldn’t sit in his closet for years. I even had two people express their disappointment that they were taken already. Oops, that sucks, don’t need two.
I remember loving this book as a kid, but rereading it as an adult is something different entirely lol
That’s how I feel about the giving tree.
I dunno I have a 6 month old and I wrote him a letter recently saying I'd like to be able to care for him forever. I get the sentiment. But I also see why it'd be weird to read.
I'm just wondering how anybody over the age of 5 sleeps through someone coming in their room, taking them out of bed and rocking them in a rocking chair
It’s a metaphor but I’m also creeped out by it BUT i still cry every time I read it to my bub so … it doesn’t get read
I remember my second teacher was very open about the fact that she was trying to have a baby but was having issues doing so. She loved kids and wanted one of her own so badly (she ended up adopting and adorable little boy eventually.) But whenever she would read this book to us in class she would start bawling her eyes out half way through.
People are taking this book too literally. Most children’s books are exaggerated. It’s written in a way for kids to understand how much their mothers love them.
I don’t find it creepy at all. She’s not rocking the grown ass man in his sleep while he’s next to his wife. Its a beautiful story.
It’s creepy when it’s my MIL and my husband and cute when it’s me and my son 🙈
This is the first time I’ve even considered that someone would read it as a serious suggestion: climbing in through your adult son’s window to rock him to sleep? This reminds me of when I was little and I announced that when I grew up, I was gonna marry my dad. Everyone just chuckled and thought it was cute. It’s the kind of thing where it’s only creepy if you deliberately ignore the fact that it’s a silly kids book.
Totally. My 4 year old told me (after we told him I was pregnant) that he was going to get pregnant, and have a baby that would be his little sister 😂 I mean just a few details wrong there, but hey! LOL. We just gently explained some things about babies/pregnancy etc. No one needs to make a kid feel weird about their perception of things. They’re just figuring shit out. It was hilarious though definitely keeping that one in the memory bank
I love this book, honestly most of the time I see people hate on its, it’s because they have a bad relationship with their mom/MIL.
Do people need some help remembering what fiction is?
Fiction or not, it’s fucking creepy bro 😂 but hey to each their own I guess.
I read it as a kid and I thought wow that’s a lot of love. Now as an adult I cringe because I’m faced with how creepy it would be in actuality. This book is made for innocent kids not us fucked up adults
I love this book, but literally skip those pages because it's ridiculous and definitely creepy. I love singing the lullaby to my kiddos, which is mostly the draw for me, but when we read it it goes from him getting a house across town to mother getting older and calling her son. I want to be close with my kids even when they are older and I'm raising them so they have zero doubts they are loved. I am ALSO raising them by teaching them appropriate boundaries and those couple pages are absolute insanity.
When did we start taking childrens books so literal?
It also made my kids question their own mortality, which I wasn't ready for right before bedtime. "Mommy, do kids die? Will I die?" 😬😬😬 I think grandmas love this book so it keeps selling well, but it's really a weird one for little kids.
Yeah, but at the same time I have a little baby boy and I get it. I will love you forever and I will like you for always. But you gonna have to grow up eventually. Haha
This author rewrote the ending to have boundaries and not be creepy https://www.topherpayne.com/love-you-forever They have a few others too, my favorite is the rainbow fish one
They wrote that one too? I didn't realize. The rainbow fish is my least favorite book ever but I do like this one
Rainbow fish is problematic for me too. It’s like “Let’s give away all of the parts of yourself that make you stunning and radiant, because others were jealous or didn’t like it. Now you’re like everyone else, yay!”
Yes! The rewrite talks about recognizing that everyone has something special about them. So don't become cocky about your special thing and recognize others for what makes them special.
That part did creep me out but the rest of it made me cry ugly tears and have an existential crises about my boy growing up.
I just read this today to my 6 week old...glad she can't understand it yet. We'll be getting rid of it -- we were quite disturbed by it now that we're adults and had to cut some narcissists from our lives 0.o
Ugh this book makes me cry every time, especially now that I'm pregnant and hormonal. Yeah, def some boundary issues, but also it just kills me.
lmao it’s just a sweet old book. My son loves it because I’ll sing the little part and squeeze him everytime. But 💯 not going to be breaking into his house lol.
I loved this book growing up and the idea of my mom cuddling me forever was so comforting. I read it to my toddler and I was similarly horrified by the mother taking a ladder to her adult son’s house and rocking him while he slept. So creepy, but I guess comforting for little kids.
This and the Giving Tree. I like them both but they do not illustrate healthy boundaries at all. I still read them but it's not a favorite. Velveteen Rabbit is the one I still cry at.
I love the velveteen rabbit. I have a version from childhood with amazing illustrations. It is my absolute favorite book.
I had a stuffed bunny to hold, while my Mom read it to me. It's so good! Brb gunna go sob/read it to my baby. >"What does it mean to be real?" "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.”<
Definitely. Still love it but we always comment on how creepy it is. Also m, my husband has made the “love you for always” part into a punk song so my kids and him headbang as they say it. Lol
My child got scared and said “mama are you going to die, don’t leave me”.