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Parenting

Winnie the Pooh Day

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Today is Winnie the Pooh Day. Enjoy!



Winnie the Pooh by Sherry Forde
Winnie the Pooh by Sherry Forde

“Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.” Winnie the Pooh

“I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me.” Winnie the Pooh

On this, Winnie the Pooh day, a few words of Pooh wisdom to remind us.

Winnie the Pooh was created in England, in 1926, by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shephard. It has been translated since then to hundreds of languages around the world.

It has been, one of the most successful franchises, for Disney, since they acquired it. Pooh has delighted children all around the world for many years.

Simplicity and humor with kindness has always been the target of the stories. Stories which engage small children, keeping them, riveted and concentrating. Children are enthralled and mesmerized by the story line and the soft nature of the cuddly bear.

It is difficult to walk into a store or see a group of children without seeing at least one Pooh in the crowd. It has held its own with charming tales of life in the imaginary woods in Sussex, of Pooh life.

E.H. Shephard’s illustrations were based on that landscape of Ashdown Forest, with open fields of heather, and birch trees; then clumps of pines.

Pooh has taught children over the years to be kinder, to treat each other with respect and concern. Its comforting effect on children, has been touted by parents in many articles and magazines suggesting that their children are learning facts of life in a constructive and decent way. Developmental advantages have been linked to the reading of Pooh also.

Celebrate Winnie, with your child. As for you, who’s children have outgrown him, remember his kind influence on your children. His slow, absent minded, sweet temper and nature.

Curious in Chesapeake

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Dear Baba Rumcake,

Have you EVER heard a woman say that having a kid-was-a-mistake?

I wonder if any of them think it, but feel it would indicate they are somehow “bad” if they admit it (or just afraid the kid might hear it someday if they said it).

Curious in Chesapeake

Dear Curious,

The truth is that most kids are mistakes. Most mothers are just too pompous to admit to the fact. It would concern me more if a mother went through the entire experience of motherhood without considering the possibility that her child may have been a mistake. From morning sickness and a warped body, to the unparalleled pains of childbirth, to poopy diapers and spit-up, to sleepless nights filled with screams, to innate human selfishness and consistent disappointments, doubts are only natural. Not until the child grows up will anyone know if they were really a mistake, but there are always bad signs early on. I can guarantee you that every woman who has adequately observed the demonic nature of her precious child has had some thoughts of regret pass through her mind. Any woman who says otherwise is either lying to your face or has existed in a fairytale world in her mind.

It also makes a difference as to what you mean by “mistake.”  Do you mean unintended, unexpected, unwelcome, or of disputed paternity?  Pol Pot’s mother was quoted as saying he should have been aborted.  Barbara Bush got drunk at a party and revealed that one of her sons was a major disappointment.  My own mother was not reticent about telling my brother and I that she would gladly trade us for a case of scotch and some unfiltered cigarettes.  Of course, she was only joking.  Right?  But cheer up, Curious in Chesapeake.  Your mother said this to you only because you stuck her in that K-Mart “retirement center” and used the money from the sale of the old family estate on a cruise to Tahiti and a solid gold doghouse for Tweeky.   In a few years she’ll forget all about it if the banana pudding doesn’t kill her first.

God bless you. Let me know how you do.

Baba Rumcake