Okay, so this was meant to be my "summer's half over, check in on progress" post, and I was going to use The Cat here for the reading portion. (I have been reading volumes, but I'll save that for a later share.)
But the more I looked at this picture, whimsical as it's meant to be, the more anxiety I felt, so I'm going to admit something really dorky to you all.
This book freaked me out when I was a kid.
I've read enough kids books, taken enough kiddie lit courses, and worked in libraries long enough to know what you all do--Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Seuss is a children's literature god, right?
But I've always been a little skeptical of his easy reader The Cat in the Hat . Heck, if a five-year -old could have stress sweats, I would have had them every time I read this book. Nope, not the reading part, I was an early reader so the words didn't cause me stress, That darn Cat did.
He was not at all fun.
He made huge messes.
I did not find either of his Things, 1 or 2, at all amusing.
And, the thing that really caused my stomach to flip...
(think back now...)
The kids' mother was out and The Cat makes an enormous mess of the house, and then they see she is in fact on her way home--
SO CLOSE THAT HER FOOT (in a snazzy pump) CAN BE SEEN AT THE END OF THEIR DRIVEWAY,
and it isn't until then The Cat in the Hat decides to clean.
Why did this stress me?
I knew there was no way with mom so close he could clean that whole house.
Yeah, I know he did.
And once I read the book the first time, I always knew he would, but it just didn't make sense to me.
I think each time, I thought logic would win out and he wouldn't.
I think each time, I thought logic would win out and he wouldn't.
Apparently, I was an anxious kid. My husband the counselor finds this story (mine, not Seuss's) quite revealing.
So...here's the question of the week:
What simple thing secretly (or maybe not so secretly) scared you or caused you anxiety when you were a kid?
12 comments:
I NEVER liked that cat! And what kind of mother leaves her kids ALL ALONE for an afternoon?!?! This book always made my tummy hurt.
I also hate clowns. Despise them.
I don't know why, but the 3 Stooges scared the heck out of me! Maybe it was because it was 3 grown men acting so insanely?! I don't know, but to this day, I can't look at them!
When we learned in class about introverts and extroverts and I found out I was an introvert. I couldn't take it to think that was me, so I made it a goal (without knowing what a goal was at the time) to change to an extrovert. Did I make it?
--Dan (from facebook)
I never felt stress about the cat in the hat but 2 things that were creepy to me as a kid: Alice in Wonderland (movie) and Willie Wonka (movie) . Ewww...
--Tina (facebook)
Yay Joan! I agree! What a weird concept for a kids' book.
Clowns ARE creepy.
The Stooges never entertained me either.
Dan--you an introvert? I don't see it!
Tina--I've never seen Alice, but even though I loved it, Willy Wonka (the original) was creepy. Maybe the book desensitized me? I read it five times before the film came out.
I have never, ever been a fan of horror movies - even those early, benign ones. When I was a teen my mom and sister used to stay up late and watch Creature Features. I used to lay in my bed and listen to the creepy opening music (which I found out later my mom and sister used to turn up so that I could hear it - yeah, I know!)and imagine what was going on on the screen.
Pam C.
I am afraid of cheese!! When I was a child, my mother always taught me to be polite when you were invited to a friend's house for dinner. If they served you something, you were to eat it all.
Someone served me mac and cheese, and lots of it.
Now I can't eat globs, cubes, thick slices, or gooey cheese. True story! :)
funny you wrote about dr seuss. right before i read it, ash had just asked me to read her green eggs and ham and she said to me, "Mommy, i like this book, but sometimes it's a little scary."
i have always hated 'dark' places. shhhh... but i still sleep with a night light. i even bring a small one with me when i travel. shhh!
To be fair to the Seuss man, I really like The Lorax and Sneetches and Other Stories.
The Lorax is a great book about taking care of our environment and Sneetches is about prejudice and self-hate. Powerful stuff. But yeah, some of his reader books are a little bit beyond strange.
I hated scary movies, too, Pam, still do. And Jeanette, you know I love cheese, and though you don't I do love you! Agnes, I'm o longer afraid of the dark--at least not often, but I was as a kid!
You all are probably too young to remember (or perhaps to have even ever heard of) Mr. Tooth Decay! But I was early in my toothbrushing years and I think it was Colgate who came up with that add ,,, evil Mr. Tooth Decay inside your mouth, doing serious damage! I had nightmares and vaguely remember waking up from one trying to climb the wall at the top of my bed as in my dream I was trying to climb a fence or something to escape from him. It was that vivid, I can remember it to this day! YIKES! Next to Mr. TD, Dr Seuss was a walk in the park for me! Debbie H-R
I do not remember Mr. Tooth Decay, and I am GLAD!
Dear All,
I have an unusual phobia-grasshoppers. It all stems from a
walk through my uncles cornfield
when I was 5 years old. The stalks
were taller than me. As I walked with others it seemed as if 1 million grasshoppers were flying through the air. Many landed on me
with their sticky padded feet. I guess I went a little beserk. My brother's laughed and my mom carried me after that, but the grasshoppers still landed on me.
Good thing I'm over it at 45 yrs old!
Brenda
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