Dog and Bear

There are many reasons why I love children's books. This week, I was reminded of a big one. Sometimes, a children's book can remind us of a great truth in the way that nothing else can. We had another week of snow and ice, early dismissals and school closings. Between vacations, snow and sickness, the girls have literally not had a full, five day week of school since early December. To say that everyone is getting on each other's nerves might be an understatement.

The other day we sat on the couch reading, Dog and Bear. As we read, Caroline said, "This reminds me of us." Indeed it does and after hearing that, I worked hard to take Bear's lesson to heart. I've copied the text of this sweet but powerful story below...

Dog: "Oh, Bear. Play with me!"

Bear: "In this book, the dog and the bear are best friends."

Dog: "Come on, Bear. Play with me!"

Bear: "Although they love to be together, sometimes the bear just needs time to himself," said Bear.

Dog: "Play with me! Play with me! Play with me! Play with me!"

Bear: "The bear tired to explain with this to the dog but the dog did not understand," Bear continued.

Dog: "Play with me! Play with me!"

Bear: "After a while, the bear realized that the dog just wanted to be with his friend," said Bear.

Bear: "All right, Dog. I will play with you now. What shall we do?"

Dog: "Read to me! Read to me!"