Did This Old Mother Just Commit A Crime?

http://www.amazon.com/
Last night I read "Love You Forever"to my 6-year-old son TWICE.  He loves the book.  Everyone does.  This book is THE book to be given to new parents. Basically, it is about a mother who loves her son VERY much despite all of his crazy antics. After sneaking into his room to rock him IN HIS SLEEP, she often sings this song to him:


I'll Love You Forever,
I'll Like You For Always,
As Long As I'm Living,
My Baby You'll Be.

How could that song alone not touch your heart?  Do you have a soul at all?  TEAR UP over that song, dadblastit!  The book is sweet, sincere, genuine, loving, touching and moving...but, DAAAAAAAANG, some parts of that book freak me out. 

Let me explain.

All is well in the House of Awful Wallpaper in that image in the video below. The loving and doting mother is quietly making her way into her infant son's room to cradle him and then sing a lovely song she probably made up on the spot. Talented girl, she is.  I bet her voice sounds like Celine Dionne, Chaka Kahn, Mariah Carey, Charlotte Church, Barbara Streisand, Susan Boyle, your mom, Sade, the cashier at your local grocery store, Anne Murray, the lady who works at your dry cleaner, Sheena Easton, your first-grade teacher, Barbara Mandrell, Aretha, Gladys Knight, your grandmother's best friend and Whitney-in-her-younger-days rolled all into one.



http://www.savvyauntie.com/

This is where it starts getting a little creepy all up in this best-selling book. In this image on the right, her son is now a teenager.  Sister is still sneaking into his room.  On her knees.  Check out that lady's cockeyed head.  If that little dude were to wake up and see his mom pretending she's a lion or a dog or an anteater or a circus-trained elephant in the hallway outside of his room, he would have to be immediately driven straight to a counselor's office in his pajamas (after knocking that opposum, I mean, cat off of his bed first.  No, maybe it's a opposum?  Or maybe a newborn babirusa?).



http://www.littleab.com/
Now this picture on the left just beats all I've ever seen, Nadine.  After little dude grew up and moved away, sister decided it would be a good time to COMMIT A CRIME.  I'll tell you what I would have committed if she came crawling into my second-floor room in the middle of the night.  HER.  In a looney bin.  Mrs. Butterworth here managed to load up her HUGE wooden ladder, prop it against her son's window, climb up the dang thing, pick up her son, rearrange the covers a bit and sing her love song to him while rocking back and forth.  If I were her, I would have requested that pet of his make his way out the window to enjoy the REALLY LARGE CRESCENT MOON'S light OUTSIDE before situating myself under my son's tonnage.  I'm sure that pet is supposed to be a cat, but, lawduhmercy, that cat is small.  He's either way out of proportion with the rest of the picture, just born or got caught up in Rick Moranis's's's's's's "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" machine.  He's about the same size as Narcoleptic's feet. 

I am fairly certain that is supposed to the same cat in the picture below where NarNar is cooking his mushrooms over the hot kitchen sink.


Don't get me wrong here, friends.  I love the book and want you to buy it if you don't have it.   Keep the cycle going and buy it for the next baby shower you attend.  The story is so sweet AND you get a little extra dose of  "Cops"-like, "Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do"-esque action with the scene depicted above, which I always value in a children's book.






32 comments:

sheaintheavy said... [Reply]

dude! i have always noticed this books creepy undertones, but when we had our son, we got like 5 copies of it!
but you're right, you gotta keep it going, you can't deprive a new generation of all the love and weirdness, right?

KLZ said... [Reply]

I think my favorite part is when she's dying. Totally uplifting. For kids, and all.

Joey @ Big Teeth and Clouds said... [Reply]

We're big fans of Robert Munsch. Julia loves "Kiss Me I'm Perfect" the book featuring lots of animals that can read and slobber.

Kids books are all a bit weird when you really think about them!

Jen said... [Reply]

The book is sad and not in a happy/sad way. It creeped me out before I had kids, and continued to after. I don't own it and haven't read it to my two. There are other ways to tell them I love them without starring in a ep of Criminal Minds. Also, if my mom snuck into my bedroom...I would, um, notice!

starnes family said... [Reply]

I totally agree. While the sentiment is sweet, it's certainly oddly delivered!

Heidi said... [Reply]

Never read it. Never even picked it up at a book store because the cover looks likes it's a dopey "lets go potty" book. (Really, kids need a book to understand how to do their business--which comes out naturally and has been for all of history?!?)
After seeing a couple pages of it above, I'm happy to admit I've never read it. Pretty sure my kids haven't either.
I love my 2 to death and they know it, but once they're in their beds, it's me-time! Wouldn't catch me crawling back to them in a million years. The mom in that book is definately c-r-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-p-y!

Gigi said... [Reply]

I got the book as a gift after having Baby 1. I read it once and was so weirded out I threw it away.

you nailed it. again.

Colleen said... [Reply]

I have never liked this book! It's way creeeeeepy! That woman needs to let go of the apron strings. And I just want to point out that the guy isn't much better. She might have thought she was being all sneaky, but if he knew the song well enough that he could sing it to her in the end, then you KNOW he was faking being asleep! And that's weird.

As the mother of two teenage boys whom I love very, very much, I can promise you that you will not find me sneaking into their stinky smelly rooms at night and trying to lug their giant sleeping bodies into my lap so that I can sing to them. Not gonna happen...

Mrs. Werginz said... [Reply]

You are hilarious! I LOVE this book but it makes me cry! Your new perspective on it will certainly help me the next time I read it!

Oilfield Trash said... [Reply]

Seems like a funny yet creepy in a Michael Jackson sort of way book.

Kristina P. said... [Reply]

I am missing out by not having kids!

Carol said... [Reply]

I love this book...yeah parts of it appear really odd and the illustrator wasn't the best, but I love the message!

Ben Reinhardt said... [Reply]

Not going to lie. That picture of the mother hunched over in the hallway like some deranged prowler freaked me out. I'm sure the rest is a real charmer :P

Saimi said... [Reply]

Love the book too, but now I'll never read it the same, I'll be too busy looking at the creepy pictures and wondering why the 'boy' is sleeping alone when granny mom comes climbing through the window..Where's wifey anyway?

Jackie said... [Reply]

LOL! This post is freakin' hilarious!

I've never heard of this book till now! I must go out and buy it now!

Kimberly said... [Reply]

I bet she sounds like Shaka Chan, your mom....hahahaha!
I will never be able to read this book the same.
PS. Robert much like Jesus is my homeboy. Home Grown CANADIAN
PPS. No not all Canadians have wallpapered homes
PPPS. No not all Canadians have moms that creep out in the hallway.

Erin I'm Gonna Kill Him said... [Reply]

Wait, your Mother In Law isn't breaking and entering into your house to hold your husband?? Our bed is getting so crowded. And the war paint and camo freak out the kids.

julie said... [Reply]

Hi.la.ri.ous.

I used to sob reading this book to my newborn son, and then laugh hysterically with my husband after putting the baby to bed. Because of how creepy the book really was. And how nuts it was that it still made me cry.

I thought it was hormones.

But you reminded me I'm not crazy!

(well....)

Monkey Man said... [Reply]

Still have that book on the shelf with the rest of the kids' books. Yes, creepy middle, but it had to do something to keep your attention there.

Shell said... [Reply]

This book makes me cry.

But, your take on it had me spitting all over my laptop. Yeah, that's pretty gross. But, thanks for the laugh anyway.

Mommy Shorts said... [Reply]

My friend gave me a whole bunch of books and looked at that one and said— DO NOT WANT. Who wants to be reminded of their own mortality every time they read their baby a bedtime story?

CREEPY ISN'T EVEN THE HALF OF IT!!

WhisperingWriter said... [Reply]

We don't have that book. I think I'd just start crying if I tried to read it, which would spook the kids.

Natalie said... [Reply]

You've just ruined this book for me forever!! In a good way, though. Anytime I read it, I'll think of you and laugh :)

Karla Telega said... [Reply]

That woman's got issues, in a sweet and heartwarming way. I love you, Mom, but I think I'll keep my windows locked tonight.

Katie said... [Reply]

Much as I like the books MEANING, I have always thought about that poor guys love life.
He is NEVER getting married.

(romantic music)
Him: Alexia, I'm so glad you finally accepted my inviation to come to my apartment and eat dinner with me. Mushrooms are my specialty.

Alexia: Well, I do like mushrooms.

(dinner is over and He and ALexia have watched a movie (Throw Mama from the train)Things have progressed and they decided to get *ahem* more comfortable in his bedroom)
(bowchicka wahwahow)

They share a ciggerette and cuddle

(LOUD THUMP)

Alexia:What was that?

Him:Oh,(looking at watch) its just my mother setting her ladder. She usually climbs in my window about now and holds me. I've told her to just use the key I gave her but you know mothers. They like to be martyrs.

Alexia runs from apartment not bothering to grab her clothes.

Creeeeeepy.

(I apologize for the length *and stupidity* of this comment.

XLMIC said... [Reply]

For real... where's his woman? OMGosh... this totally had me running for the bathroom and not making it... gotta do something about this wetting problem cuz I am not going to stop reading your hilarious blog. And the comments! Y'ALL are ALL off the charts!

Jennifer said... [Reply]

I love this post so, so much. Hilarious. I always wondered the same thing when I read this book. Like dayum, doesn't this grown man realize his momma is crawling in his window and don't he think that's a little creepy. Plus I can't read this book ever without breaking down into big, snotty sobs so there's that too.

Cheeseboy said... [Reply]

Okay, I am a first grade teacher and there is no way in hell that this mama has a voice of angels that even touches mine.

I must admit, I am a first grade teacher that has never actually read this book. I must be awful, but now that I have read this hilarious post, I don't think I would much care for this book anyway. I'll stick to Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus.

NeatoVito said... [Reply]

OKAY i can't stop LAUGHING. I'm SO GLAD i'm not the only one who has thought this while reading this book!!! YES, it's sweet i get it, but it's also seriously creepy/stalky too.

Nice to meet you Kelley!

Kristine said... [Reply]

Holy crap...we even both noticed the damn possum! Mrs. Butterworth! Hahaha :)

Clearly we are of the same fabric, Kelly, and I hereby proclaim us to be literary critics of the highest regard.

(Seriously, the similarities are kind of uncanny and I'm totally paranoid people will suspect plagiarism and I'VE HIRED AN ATTORNEY.)

Nicole said... [Reply]

This is fab. I snarked out loud at the "hot kitchen sink."

This book blows chunks---or crime committing tips!

Kelley, please sign on to do another book for my Character Assassination Carousel? Check my blog if you're interested in ripping apart any more well-loved kid's books.

Poppy said... [Reply]

I can't believe this post has been here for months and this is the first time I'm reading it - From Mrs. Butterworth to Narcoleptic's feet this post has me rolling. Kelley you are so funny.

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