If you've ever read your kids Robert Munsch's Love You Forever, perhaps you've wondered what this classic tale is all about. Well, the author has finally opened up about this, and it's not what you think.
First, some background in case you're not familiar with the book: It's about a mom who rocks her baby to sleep and sings him a little song — every night. Even once the boy has moved out and has a family of his own, Mom still sneaks to sing him this little ditty.
Creepy, right? Total case of helicopter mom gone haywire … yet my opinion changed once I learned that the author's inspiration were his two stillborn babies. As he said on his website:
I made that up after my wife and I had two babies born dead. The song was my song to my dead babies. For a long time I had it in my head and I couldn't even sing it because every time I tried to sing it I cried. It was very strange having a song in my head that I couldn't sing.
For a long time it was just a song but one day, while telling stories at a big theatre at the University of Guelph, it occurred to me that I might be able to make a story around the song.
Out popped Love You Forever, pretty much the way it is in the book.
More from The Stir: 11 Beloved Nursery Rhymes That Kids Should Never Hear
Well then. Once I heard this explanation, I have to say it changed how I felt about this book. It's not about how a mom can't let go for her kids; it's about how we continue to love them even when they're not with us. And that's just heart-wrenchingly sweet.
We've all heard how we should never judge a book by its cover, but I'll take this one step further and say we should never judge a book even after we've read it. Because there are many, many different ways to interpret those words — and why assume the worst when you can see something endearing instead?
Image via Amazon
