I had a curious reaction to the book If I Could: A Mother’s Promise by SusanMilord (2008). Certain I’d read variations of this story a hundred times; I scrolled through my blog. But I did not find a similar picture book. Instead, I found I Wish You More and Noisy Nora. Noise Nora was quite different, a story about parents too busy to deal with one of their children.
Susan Milford gives us a story of a mother’s boundless devotion to her only child. This is a dreamy story about an idyllic world a mother longs to create for her child. Indeed, some mothers feel it’s their responsibility to move heaven and earth. “If I could, I’d paint the flowers to brighten all your waking hours. If I could, I’d swim the deep in search of treasure for you to keep.” Yes, if I could, I’d inspire all mothers to feel such devotion.
However, in my old age, if I could, I would teach mothers to define personal boundaries. Mothers who do too much exhaust themselves and deny their children lessons of reality. If I could, I would build empowerment in children who learn helplessness from parents who overprotect, helicopter, and create fantasy environments. If I could, I would expect all mothers to improve living conditions for all children, not just their own.
ChristopherDenise portrays racoon for this version of motherhood. I love his illustration style. The setting is beside
the ocean. His family strolls through flowers, collects sea shells, and looks
up at an expansive night sky devoid of light pollution. The jacket flap states
that he lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, an affluent community by the sea.
Wouldn’t it be nice is everyone could enjoy such a picturesque existence?
