Skip to main content

Josh at Three

 2019


My son is born on August 3. We very quickly begin reading "The Complete George and Martha," by James Marshall.

No other children's book will ever mean more to my family. Marshall's two hippos--named for Edward Albee protagonists--seem to comment on everything that happens in the world. Jealousy, love, competition, evasiveness, generosity, sacrifice, chaos, self-reflection, fear, ambition, scheming: It's all there. Each story has a minimalist touch, and layers, and a sense of humor that is accessible to a child.

2020

At one, Josh is "reading" Madeline with me. We sit in a beach house and notice the Seine, in the pictures--and, also, "a crack that had the habit....of resembling a rabbit...."

2021

Josh travels to Provincetown, and the two of us read "Rapunzel," by Paul Zelinsky. Is this terrifying story appropriate for a small child? Maybe not, but we like Zelinsky, and later we have more fun with PZ's version of "The Wheels on the Bus."

....And in the Present Day....

We've been spending time with Tomie dePaola. This guy was interested in the artist/outcast--a figure who pops up in "Stage Struck," "Legend of the Indian Paintbrush," "The Art Lesson." Each of the three stories has a little gay boy struggling to come to terms with his own talent.

It's unclear what Josh takes from all this, but he is increasingly patient with me. In his spare time, he grabs a book, holds it to his face, and shouts, DADADADADADADA. And I never, never discourage this behavior.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

The Death of Bergoglio

  It's frustrating for me to hear Bergoglio described as "the less awful pope"--because awful is still awful. I think I get fixated on ideas of purity, which can be juvenile, but putting that aside, here are some things that Bergoglio could have done and did not. (I'm quoting from a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the Church.) He could levy the harshest penalty, excommunication, against a dozen or more of the most egregious abuse enabling church officials. (He's done this to no enablers, or predators for that matter.) He could insist that every diocese and religious order turn over every record they have about suspected and known abusers to law enforcement. Francis could order every prelate on the planet to post on his diocesan website the names of every proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting cleric. (Imagine how much safer children would be if police, prosecutors, parents and the public knew the identities of these potentially dangerous me...
1 comment
Read more

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic.  She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...
1 comment
Read more