Last fall, Nora and I read Charlotte's Web together, our first chapter book. I love re-reading books from my childhood with an adult or parent perspective. While these are books written mostly for children, they are written by adults, so naturally there are things for all of us. Anyway, in this current stage of life in which I am learning (somewhat painfully, sometimes) to embrace the chaos and self sacrificing I found myself feeling really understood by Charlotte. Or really understanding Charlotte. We speak the same language...if that's possible. I could write a dissertation on just a handful of conversations between Charlotte and Wilbur and the parent child relationship, but I'm not in school or getting paid to do this and have very limited free time, so for now, here is one exchange:
"What are you doing up there, Charlotte?"
"Oh, making something," she said. "Making something, as usual."
"Is it something for me?" asked Wilbur.
"No," said Charlotte. "It's something for me, for a change."
I think I may have laughed out loud as I read this to Nora. I'm pretty sure I've had this exact conversation a few times with her. But the irony of this exchange is that Charlotte is making her egg sac, which is really for her babies, not for her. And then she dies just two days after making it and never gets to see her babies born. And that is when I realized Charlotte didn't die of old age. Charlotte died of MOM BURNOUT.
peace+love
1 comment:
hahaha Mom burnout. It's a mystery more moms don't die from that.
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