We have been reading chapter books to Leila at night for a while now.  After suffering through eighteen books worth of Junie B. Jones and her bad grammar, I am finally getting to relive my own childhood favorites through Beverly Cleary.   We are starting out with Beezus and Ramona and I can’t help but see a lot of my little Leila in Ramona.

I know that I can be very hard on Leila.  She is a strong-willed child, and I love that about her, and it frustrates me to no end.  Last night while I was reading Leila commented that Ramona was really naughty! Funny thing is, so is Junie B.  I am sensing a theme here…the really naughty, daring children make for good characters to read about.

As a mother I gets lots of opportunities to relive my own childhood through experiences with my children.  Most mom’s will tell you that is one of the best perks to motherhood.  Even though sometimes you find that things that were totally awesome as a kid, like swinging at the park which now makes your stomach turn in a much less happy way than it did twenty years ago, or rolling down a hill, which results in bruises on your hip bones and a really uncomfortable headache, are things that were better left in your own childhood memories.  Somethings can bring you new insight, like realizing that Ramona is a stinker!  And maybe that’s ok.  Stinkers are good characters. I will be taking this as my sign that I need to do a better job enjoying my little stinker.

When I said goodnight to Leila last night I couldn’t help but give her an extra long hug and a few I Love You’s, just in case my short temper had made her doubt my devotion to her.  I don’t think it did, but I do think we both needed those extra moments to snuggle, and I can’t wait to share more of Ramona with her.