Sometime during the last ice age (November 2016 to be precise) I wrote a thing about naming characters. In it, I confidently asserted that the only good reason to procreate, was so the child in question could wear hats with ears. Hats with ears are the only reason to have a kid. I still stand by that. Timeless wisdom you can etch in stone, as old as the hills. Buy why go so far back in the dusty blog files to remind the world of that particular gem? Well, I've found another reason to justify passing on genes to an unsuspecting blank slate. More of that in a moment.
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| My favourite for Baby B... |
But first, in kinda related news, I'm an Auntie! Again! The fourth member of Bond: The Next Generation was heralded into the world just hours ago. (At the time of writing there are scant details, and I am unaware of the GDPR consents of the baby in question. So let's just say, welcome to Baby Number 4! Nephew Number 2! Another member of the team to visit me in my old age, sneaking booze into the old folks' home. The reason I bring this up now, apart from it being today's breaking news, is that it's kick started the Bond family tradition that takes place whenever a newbie is welcomed to the club.
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| ...but with a clear disclaimer inside. Not sure things have changed that much in hindsight. |
Prior to their birth, the older family members buy the new kid on the block, some books. It's a way of establishing a library right from the off, as well as a chance to pass on much-loved stories to a new reader. It means that for the fourth time in six years, I have been given the opportunity to immerse myself in children's literature as I consider the way I want to introduce myself to the niece or nephew in question. Because, just as a key query on a first date would be, 'What's your favourite book?', a person's reading choice highlights so much about them. If this is how my new niece or nephew first learns of me, then it has to be good. It has to be a considered and thought-out process.
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| For Baby C... |
For the first baby, I chose all my own favourites, long before she was born. No one knew the sex, and it was nice to choose without being swayed by any unconscious gender biases I might have accidentally brought. So Baby B got some Enid Blyton (with a healthy disclaimer at the front about how times have changed since I loved them!) And she also got some kiddy Shakespeare, because it's never too early to lock down a soliloquy.
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| ...still sound advice. |
When Baby C was on the way, a few years later, news from the scan informed us that a boy was gestating. So, I made it my mission to ensure he would not be troubled with toxic masculinity for a second. I chose Jacob's New Dress, The Sissy Duckling, The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, and Skateboard Mom. I like to think my plan worked. That kid has empathy in bucket-loads. And he's never arsed about taking his turn to role-play a princess either. Good work, books. You did your job!
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| I was still in teacher mode when I bought this... |
Baby D was the last arrival before today, checking in to the family last Autumn. For her arrival, my MO for book purchasing was simply to spend a bit of time in the Waterstones' kids' section. At one point I narrowed down my shortlist to twelve, before putting a few choices back on the shelf. No child needs a full bookshelf from the start, with no room for their own choices. The aim is to encourage reading, not prescribe it. But still. Choosing books for tiny relatives is loads of fun. She got the books that shouted out to me, that had sumptuous illustrations, or whose stories grabbed me. She may end up hating every single one of them, but she has that choice. She's got a jumping off point from which to consider her own opinions. Hopefully she will have plenty of them.
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| ...but I was right. Shakespeare rocks. |
And now it's this week. My book choices arrived a few days ago, before Baby Number 4 rocked up. It was definitely harder because of lockdown. Not being able to flick, browse, and wallow came with its own challenges but I came up with some crackers. I think the underlying messaging behind all my book choices, whether subconscious or not, is to open up the world beyond the patriarchal, heteronormative, white privileged constraints that exist in society*. That, and gifting some fun reads. So, for newborn Baby S, who I have yet to meet - Grrrr you pesky Covid - here are his books. I like Myself! It's OK To Be Different, King and King, and The Great Big Book of Families. I genuinely love them. The gift of literature cannot be overstated.
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| All yours, Baby S! Enjoy the brilliant world in your head and beyond. |
In another family with another Auntie, kids might get chemistry sets, gadgets or number games. Fair play, it takes all sorts. It's OK to be different, as the book title tells us. But to not actively encourage a skill that transports us into another world, that offers experiences different to our own, that gives us an imagination filled with friends, places, and events that we can access any time we like? Well that would be a terrible oversight. Here's to Baby S and everything they read! And here's to me, experiencing the joys of welcoming new life once again. Hats with ears and book-sharing - procreation has a couple of perks at least.
Have a lovely week, folks.
*I'm not sure where Enid Blyton fits in with that, but still. I've come a long way since then.
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