It's Dr. Seuss' birthday and I am reminded of the influence he's had in my life. I remember having a collection of his books when I was a small girl. I loved to read even as a child and Dr. Seuss made reading whimsical. I read his books over and over again.
I knew when I became a mom, I wanted my child to have a collection of his own. And during my pregnancy, I started purchasing the books I loved as a little girl:
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him!
Green Eggs and Ham
I am NOT Going to Get up Today!
I remember being about 8 months pregnant, sitting in my soon to be son's room. I rocked in the rocker, staring at his crib, dreaming about what my son would be like. I reread Oh, the Places You'll Go! and by the end, I was sobbing. Dr. Seuss' words were so simple, yet the message so profound.
Two and half years after Norrin was born, he was diagnosed with autism. I picked up Oh, the Places You'll Go! again and read it to him. I began reading it to him more and more over the next months. Some times, he sat in my lap while I read. Other times, he ran around the room. Either way, I kept reading. I wanted Norrin to hear the words, even though I knew he didn't understand them. I needed him to have the message instilled within him. And maybe I did too.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
~ Oh, the Places You'll Go!
And I love that now Norrin can read on his own, the Dr. Seuss classics, are always his go-to books.
Here are a few other Dr. Seuss favorite quotes:
“A person's a person, no matter how small.” Horton Hears a Who!
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Happy Birthday to You!
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” The Lorax
“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!” One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Labels: Atypical Familia, Books We Read, Dr. Seuss, FAMILIAGRAM, Things We Love
