Shaun Groves
A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.
You may recognize these words as the start of the best-selling children’s book Love You Forever. It continues…
The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother’s watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, “this kid is driving me CRAZY!”
But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.
The mother rocked and sang to her little boy when he was a nine year-old who hated baths. And when he was a teenager in strange clothes listening to strange music. If he was really asleep she would rock him and sing.
Then…
That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town.
But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.
If all the lights in her son’s house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.
Creepy.
I find it interesting that when the man moved he moved across town…another zipcode. Because mom is creepy. But like Michael Myers, mom creeps on…unstoppable…across town…across the floor…and if her boy is really asleep…
Mom is careful to observe the law when making the drive though. She hasn’t completely lost it. She ties a red flag to the ladder to alert other motorists to her oversized load, as the law prescribes – the oversized load she’ll soon use to break into a house in the dead of night.
Listen, moms. Put down the ladder. Let go.
The reviewers over at Amazon are divided between awww and this-is-why-I’m-in-therapy. So, what do you think? Cute or creepy?
Tracey says:
I want to like this book because it was a gift to our first born by a dear couple who said it was a favorite~~but IT IS CREEPY!
Thank you for allowing me to admit this, I have been in complete denial.
Natalie Witcher says:
I”ve never really liked that either. Bit creepy for me too. glad I’m not the only one. My hubs better not crawl up in his mom’s lap anytime soon. 🙂
Chris Coppenbarger says:
My kids love this book. I’ve never thought of it being creepy. We had to replace our first copy with a hardback version since the original softcover’s cover got torn. At any rate, a tune was even made up for the song in the book and is sung to the kids at night.
Shaun Groves says:
Start putting money aside now for therapy.
Sarah Mae says:
{giggle}
Karen says:
Awww…so cute…until he was 2, or maybe, maybe 9. After that? Creepy.
Bethany says:
I never thought of the creepy-ness of this book until now…….. DUDE why’d you have to go a ruin it for me????
I used to read it to my daughter, get all teary at the love between a mother and child, have myself a good motherly cry.
NOW…….. I am going to see it as a creepy stalker breeding book
Thanks
Bethany
Shaun Groves says:
Read it with the soundtrack to Halloween playing in the background for greatest creepy affect.
Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies says:
Ha!!
Diane says:
you are too funny. I gave this book to my grown daughter many years ago……I am going to have to take it back now…ha ha….
Paul Mitchell says:
SOO CREEPY!!
I’ve never heard of this book… I can’t believe it’s actually popular.
That mom has some serious problems!
SOOO CREEEEPY!
Darla says:
Totally creepy! I got at least THREE copies when each of my children were born, and I could barely read it to them. Only when they insisted! Because it creeped me out…
Chris Kinsley says:
Creepy for sure. My daughter loves this book, but reading it to her weirds me out. I may start skipping that part straight to when the son sings to his own daughter.
Amy Storms says:
Completely agree…never bought this for my kids because it’s creepy.
Chris Ames says:
Probably 7 levels of creepy. Maybe 8.
Chris
Kelli says:
So funny. I have always thought this book was creepy. The story itself wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t paired with a picture of the little old mama rocking her grown son.
That’s weird!
I so remember my mom bringing this book home when I was a teenager. She’d bought it for a friend who was expecting. I distinctly remember telling her that if she ever shimmied up the side of my house and tried to rock me I’d have her commited to the insane assylum.
I was a real gem as a teen. 🙂
Shaun Groves says:
You know, maybe we’re missing the message of this book altogether. Maybe it’s not a book about a mother’s love for her son, but a book about the warning signs of dementia. Maybe?
Kelli says:
Interesting assertion…
Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies says:
Whoo, glad I’m not alone! We were given two copies when Kaya was born and the givers said they just LOVED the book. Creeped me out from the get-go.
Zoë says:
That’s not love, that’s some kind of weird co-dependency and I wouldn’t want my kids reading it lol.
However, there is a book that we all love called ‘How to Heal a Broken Wing’ which I intend to use as part of my role as Compassion advocate 🙂
ukrainiac says:
Definitely creeped me out when I first saw it. So many friends thought it was great…I remember reading it and thinking that the mother had some SERIOUS problems. Definitely creepy.
amy danielle smith says:
Creepy? Yes and no.
Yes, because in real life, this is insanity defined.
No, because it was written for children. I guess there’s this mama part that wants my kids to know, I will always. ALWAYS. love you.
But no, I won’t be climbing a ladder to rock them to sleep when they are bigger than me.
kit says:
You totally cracked me up with the red-flag-on-the-ladder bit, never noticed that before! How funny!
Andy says:
Thanks for posting this Shaun, my wife and I too are glad we’re not alone. I always have so many questions when reading this book. One of them is where are other people. I know the boy’s friends are mentioned, but the world seems to consist solely of the mom and the boy. There’s no mention of dad (or what happened to him). The man’s wife is strangely absent. It’s not until we meet the man’s daughter that we see another person, but then it’s like the end of a horror flick that’s setting us up for a sequel. He picks her up and starts singing…
Lindsay says:
“He picks her up and starts singing…”
I can just HEAR the Twilight theme playing behind this scene…
C.S. says:
I’m with Bethanny, I used to read it and then get all teary eyed, kids would roll their eyes and say “here she goes again.” Now, I am tempted to go upstairs and recycle it!
Have you read the oldie but Goody “Now One Foot, Now the Other.” It’s no longer in print, but it could quickly replace Love you Forever!
Paul Mitchell says:
I wonder why there’s no man mention in this book?
Is it because she kept showing up at his work when he wasn’t paying attention?
She’d creep in through his window with their wedding album and want to reenact their first dance at the wedding reception.
Kimberly says:
Maybe he left because his own mother kept showing up at their house in the middle of the night.
cara says:
You guys all have attachment disorder.
I can barely get through the last few pages without bawling. Now, perhaps the only page that makes me feel a bit funny is the picture of her rocking her grown son. But the picture of him holding his mom as an old, old lady and rocking her – that makes me cry. Maybe it’s because I work with long-term-care seniors and sometimes I sit with them while they lie dying alone…and I wonder where their children are.
Clearly more people think this book is awesome because it is very popular book and of course not meant to be taken literally – just the story of how a mom’s love never changes and is reciprocated by her son a lifetime later.
In real life, moms try to keep the B&E’s to a minimum.
Kathy says:
Cara – Thank you for being the voice of reason. =0)
I love this book, too, and hardly keep a dry eye when reading it. Perhaps because my parents are gone now so can’t show their absolute love (hold me) anymore? I love that the book shows a legacy of love and hope my life does too.
But will grudgingly admit the mother climbing through the window is Psycho movie material.
Maria says:
Have to agree, I’ve always loved the book. Not because I’d ever actually break-in or stalk my kids, but because there is a part of your heart that always remembers when you could still hold them, maybe? I’m wondering if the majority of the people weirded out don’t yet have kids who are grown up. Once they’re leaving the nest your realize that while it’s the best, most blessed & amazing thing to see your kids own their own lives, it also aches more than you thought it would.
My “boys” are young adult men now, all pushing 6ft., and they laugh about the book and how it always made me tear up. And yet as they watched me take care of my own Dad in the years before he died, they each at some point said it was so similar to the end of the book, and that one day they would be there for me too. I think it’s sweet, and like most things in our culture today, only creepy if you make it so. 🙂
Nates5bs says:
I’m with Bethany. I have absolutely loved this book and it makes me cry every time, but now you’ve ruined it for me! BTW, I don’t think my kids will end up in therapy over it. We have a good laugh over her actions, but they all know I’m not going to copy her! It’s been powerful though for my adopted daughter. It comforts her that my love for her is unrelenting like that. She needs that assurance because she’s never known that type of love before now.
Anne says:
Since when does breaking and entering mean, “I love you”? The emotional neediness of this mom is really disturbing! Recently we ranked her as one of the creepiest moms of all time, along with Witch Mother Gothel from Tangled! The book has always creeped us out big time!
sara varghese says:
I read the book once a long time ago…don’t remember if the word “creepy” came to mind….maybe just “what the?” “put the poor man down, he’s trying to sleep” er… something along those lines.
Katie says:
That poor man’s future wife!
Although, really, it’s no more creepy than Hansel and Gretel being put in the oven…
Katie
Charity says:
That is hilarious. And now that you point it out, it IS creepy.
Terri G. says:
Creepy, yes, but I guess I missed the point. I thought it was fictional humor.
I love the author’s description of teens. Now that is accurate and funny.
JavaJoy says:
Always thought it was creepy. however…now that I have an 18 year old and I’m daily trying to “let go” with a lot of prayer, this post made me laugh and cry.
Princess Leia says:
Managed to avoid that one with my kids (yes, creepy…), but both the 4-yr-old and the 2-yr-old can answer the question “how much do I love you” with the correct “SOOOOOOOOOO much.” And the 4-yr-old at this point is happy to point out to whomever will listen that he will “always be mama’s baby boy.” Which is absolutely true. But I hope he knows enough to keep his windows locked at night!
Kelly @ Love Well says:
Not just creepy: psychotic.
http://www.lovewellblog.com/2007/11/ill-love-you-forever-said-psycho-mother.html
(The red flag on the ladder screamed at me too. It’s the details that make a story go from scary to terrifying, yes?)
Jennifer Eckert says:
it’s both because as the story continues….she gets really old and he picks her up and rocks her in the rocking chair singing the same song which she used to sing to him making it sweet…it starts out cute and gets a little creepy until the very end. (I own the book and it makes me want to cry a little because of the love a mother has for her kid)
JD says:
Thank you, Shaun — I needed a good laugh today to counteract the tears (you know you’re adopting when… *sigh*). This helped, even though I can’t decide if it’s creepy or not. I just enjoy your perspective!
Brady McCain says:
I thought it was going to be one of those books that pulled at your heartstrings… and then I almost had to run away from my computer… or spray it with disinfectant… or call a therapist. I’m voting mega-CREEPY!
Jennifer, Snapshot says:
I like the beginning and the end, but yeah the middle — creepy and weird.
tobit says:
another vote to creepy, although the UK version she uses the bus to cross town. Not that makes it any less creepy!
Renee Buffa says:
You will never understand….you’re nit a mom!!!!! i love this book!!! it’s not creepy, it’s loving!!!!
Michael Patterson says:
Creepy! I like “Everybody Poops” better.
Jason says:
Add another vote to creepy from me. Just reading what you shared I felt the need to find Chris Hansen.
Christine Hoover says:
I’ve always thought that book was super creepy!
Nicole @ Here's The Diehl says:
creepy. super creepy. no doubt about it.
Karen says:
Considering my “boys” are all almost a foot taller and 100+ pounds heavier, I will DEFINITELY not be creeping across town to rock them! 🙂
NOT a fan of this book……
Erica Shier says:
Laughed out loud when I read this post! I actually wrote a blog post about this one day, too. Super creepy.
Tater Mama says:
Someone gave this to us when our son was born, and I cried like a fool the first time I read it. Then I read it again and thought it was a little strange. I gave it to my mom to read and when she finished she looked at me and said, “Ewwww. There’s something very wrong here.”
I vote creepy.
Ginny Streeter says:
This is one of my absolute favorite books. It was given to my daughter (now 23) when she was about a year old, and at the same time my father was dying of cancer. To this day, I cannot read that book without crying.
happy geek says:
Ah Shaun, you are messing with a Canadian icon. Don’t be dissin Mr. Munsch.
For the back story he wrote it in honor of his three stillborn babies. Knowing that, and all his other fantastic books makes this still one of my faves.
HeatherEV says:
Definitely VERY creepy.
Sharen says:
hahahahaha, so funny!! I’m not a parent yet, therefore I don’t understand a monthers love….but. If your kid moves out of the house it is time to stop rocking him to sleep – especially if it involves breaking and entering!!
If I wasn’t at work I would be rolling on the floor laughing over this post!
Ida says:
Creepy. In a way that only a mom could be creepy. Which makes it even MORE creepy.
Jennifer says:
Creepy.
It sounds like a good Hitchcock film, almost a Rear Window sequel.
kimb says:
I loved this book when I was little. I thought it was so sweet and cute. Looking back, the middle portion is really creepy. I even said “creepy” out loud before seeing it typed below the last picture. The ending is what makes it sweet. I will stick with that. My answer is both. I would still like to read it to my future children, but maybe I’ll glue the creepy pages together…
Sarah Mae says:
Creepy.
And hilarious.
Rebecca says:
Can. not. stop. laughing.
How have I missed this book all my life? Seriously, seriously creepy.
Big Mama says:
I wouldn’t want her as my mother-in-law.
Angie says:
We heard from lots of people about how great this book was when I was preggo with our first son.
After I read it, I wondered if I was reading the same book??
WAY CREEPY!!
Funkymunkee says:
This book isn’t popular over here in Australia. CREEPY!!!
Reminds me of my mother-in -aw pinching my 25-year-old hubby’s cheeks and saying “oh my precious bubby wubby” at the top of her voice, in the middle of a crowded cafe. She didn’t understand when I pointed out how inappropriate it was. (Fast forward 10 years and she’s stopped doing that sort of thing, thankfully!)
Tracy Smith says:
This is funny. As soon as I saw the snapshot of your blog entry with the pic of the book, I said to my husband, “That book is creepy.” Then I read thru your entry and saw your bolded word: Creepy. I was given this as a gift from a friend when we adopted our first son from Russia. It looked endearing until I read it and was creeped out. lol. Glad I’m not alone in feeling this way!
Amy D. says:
Well, I have always thought of it as a fairy tale, so it’s never creeped me out anymore than any of those other books that aren’t true. She’s not sneaking in the window to slash him or anything… that would be CREEPY. 🙂
Lindsay says:
Like Hansel and Gretel… Or Little Red Riding Hood. Or… 😉 (Seriously, what were those people thinking when they wrote those tales??)
I agree, when it’s taken as a fairytale, it’s cute, even heart-warming.
However, when looked at it from a literal point of view, as Shaun laid out, it’s HILARIOUSLY creepy.
Lisa Smith @stretchmarkmama says:
I heard Robert Munsch tell the story (via the Love You Forever: The Best of Robert Munsch CD) lots and lots before I saw the book, so I fall into the minority of people who think it’s cute versus creepy. He is such a funny storyteller and the “Love You Forever” song is so sweet when cushioned by all his other silly songs. His CDs are great for road trips (with kids).
Diane says:
always a new perspective….so much for that favorite kids story…..now that you’ve pointed that out…ha ha
Sharon O says:
i think you are very funny. yes I always thought the book a bit different but that is only because my own ‘childhood’ was not like that at all.
funny man… you are I love your humor.
Alexia says:
Creepy. For sure. The beginning and end are sweet, but he definitely needed to come up with something else for those grown years. I hid the book from my boys.
Kris says:
I was first introduced to this book when I was a teenager babysitting. It was touching to me at that point. Then when I had children, I bought it for us to read because I wanted to ensure that my kids knew that I loved them, and we would read it together.
Over time though I did begin to think in terms of being able to let go, and how the book does not portray the natural progression of leaving and cleaving, and parents having their own lives back once kids are grown. I would not do what the mother in this book does because it is creepy. I would hope that my sons would not do what the son in the book does at the end. I’m thinking at that point in my life I’m probably going to be sick and achy and not want anyone to pick me up and rock me!
I have become concerned about my oldest son being able to let go and move on. At 12 he still calls me Mommy and is very clingy in public. I don’t mind the hugs, but it seems odd to me that at his age he does this in public. I don’t think the book causes this because he does have some special issues, but I think perhaps the book has encouraged it.
Bernard Shuford says:
It’s cute because it’s not intended to be a literal story. It’s the expression of a mother who loves her son eternally and would do absolutely anything to let him know that. It’s not about climbing in windows.
misty says:
Definately creepy.
Dona from VA says:
What’s wrong with everyone ? Have we gotten past the point where we can deal with some hyperbole? Perhaps if more of us felt loved unconditionally — and loved our kids, spouses, friends, etc. in the same way, the world would be a nicer place to live.
There! I said it ! I love the book and read it to my grandkids.
Tyler Mykkanen says:
My mom loved this book and read it often to my brother and me. She gave it to my wife and I when we first had kids. We don’t read it to them. Definitely creepy. The “mother’s love” portrayed in this book is unhealthy and has nothing to do with the biblical love of Godly parent.
Cate says:
It’s very creepy if you just take it a face value, but I think there was meant to be a deeper message, that I pick up as “a mother’s love should be unconditional” , just as Jesus taught. But what is even more creepy is that there is no father in this story!
Kris says:
Please be careful about how you word things. There’s no father in our household, and there’s nothing creepy about that. Keeping him around would have been creepy though!
Sometimes circumstances are what they are because it is better than what it was before. If the choices/changes were made with Biblical principles being followed, then that is not creepy at all.
Sometimes a parent dies. How is that creepy?
I’m not trying to start something. I’m just requesting some sensitivity.
Michelle Franklin says:
It’s symbolic and intentionally over the top. Even after we leave and cleave there are times when we wish we were back in our mother’s arms.
Obviously we can’t go back to being a small child rocked and comforted by our mom but the memory of her love then (and it’s expression in a more grown up way now, hopefully) give us a more secure feeling that she’ll always be there.
In turn, there comes a time when our mom needs us to comfort her, not by rocking her on our lap maybe, but again that is symbolic. Hopefully the love we were given will be given back since we learned it from our mothers from the beginning.
Dagmar says:
In the German translation, after the son has moved out, the mom, lying in bed, not able to sleep, thinks back to the days when she held her boy and sings the song. So does that make German moms less creepy? 😀
No, but honestly, I like the thinking back version a lot better than the breaking in one. I’m a midwife, and I read the books to the expectant moms at the very end of their final birth preparation class, because I like how it illustrates that the life with their child hardly ends after a successful birth, the main event they tend to focus on, but will, with time, enfold into a beautiful love story, despite all the bumps on the road that may lie ahead. When I finish, I usually have everyone in the room, including me, in tears, because it is, after all, a touching story.
Lisa H says:
Creepy! Someone bought that book for us when we were expecting our first child. They said it was their FAVORITE book and oh-so-sweet. My husband and I both thought it strange and hid it on the back of the bookshelf. 😉
shayne says:
“Listen moms, put down the ladder. Let go.”
As gently and as humbly as I can type this Shaun, I want to say/type…the above statement was given by a dad who hasn’t had to go through this yet.
I pray that when the time comes…it’ll be a time of joy for you and your wife and that the peace of God will encompass you completely. That you won’t be tormented by regret or your mistakes. I pray that the destinies and purposes and plans that God has for your children come to complete and perfect fruition, and that their relationships with Jesus are deeper and go farther (further?) than yours and Becky’s. In Jesus’ name amen.
Maria says:
Amen. You think it’s dramatic until you go through it, and then you realize that successfully launching your children is a rather painful process, no matter who you are. It’s healthy, it’s necessary, and hopefully it’s what you’ve been working towards since the journey began, but it’s hard.
Megan @ Faith Like Mustard says:
I give it a 9 on the creep-o-meter.
Holly says:
Umm my girls loved this book… and they heard it at preschool… but thanks to Shaun, I now understand my 73 year old mother and her inability to think that I am not a child! I live a thousand miles away and she checks my weather and calls me to tell me how to dress. ;), not my children.. ME!
Loved the post!
valerie (in TX) says:
TOTALLY creepy!! We, too, have a tune for the song…..but that’s as far as it goes! I received the book as a gift when my oldest was born, and – sorry to say – the book went straight in the trash. I haven’t had to face my children’s moving out yet, either, and I understand the feeling of not wanting to let go, but seriously? You break into your GROWN son’s house and sneak into his bedroom in the middle of the night? I’m thinking it’s the mom in the book who needs serious therapy.
RuthA says:
Drat! The second I saw the picture I got all excited remembering this book, looked it up and almost ordered it on Amazon. Then I read the rest of your post. Shattered. 🙂
But as a first time mom, watching my little girl grow up too fast (yeah I know, 1 isn’t grown up yet but it feels like it.) I can see myself being this creepy. Not sure whats worse, to feel yourself slowly becoming the creeper mom who can’t let go, or to HAVE the creeper mom.
ellen read says:
Ok, so the one scene is over the top. But it’s about the love of a mom for her kids. I have 4 married and out of the home. I still FEEL that strong love for them. It doesn’t go away. That is what the book is saying.
shellie (baylormum) says:
I never thought of this as a creepy book or that my now-24-y/o-well-adjusted-child would need therapy!! Her take on this book was “I like & love you a whole bunch”. Out of a then-3 y/o mouth. Every night when we tucked her in. For, what now seems like such a short of time. To think a 3 y/o or a little older would have the perspective that this is breaking & entering & being creepy with your child is astounding! It is about the love of a parent for a child (no gender involved) that lasts a lifetime!! It is what a child wants to hear at that age. That, no matter what age they are, they are loved. Always and forever.
meri says:
My husband and I always always say we are saving for our kids’ future extensive therapy bills rather than college. lol
We read this book so much for our first son that he had it memorized. Sigh.
Dona from VA says:
I’ve been thinking about this and now wonder , what are YOUR issues that make this seem creepy and that leave you unable to accept the fact that this is FICTION ??????
Shaun Groves says:
Silence Of The Lambs is fiction. Still creepy.
Tsh @ Simple Mom says:
Shaun, we were talking about this exact thing at my book club last week. We decided a great sequel would be from the guy’s wife.
“Um, Honey… Your mom is at the window again. Please tell her to stop.”
Amy says:
This may be one of the creepiest children’s books ever. Someone gave us a copy when my son was born and I actually threw it away.
I truly adore my son and will miss him terribly when he is grown and off living away from home. That said, I would never dream of sneaking into his home, holding him in my lap and rocking him while he sleeps.
I’m with you. Put down the ladder, moms. Let go.
Meredith Dunn says:
This was my FAVORITE childhood book. Ever.
Now… you kinda blew it up.
Thanks man.
Shaun Groves says:
You’re welcome.
Lindsay says:
My mother-in-law gave this book to my husband at the birth of our first child. This post explains so much…
And I’m laughing uncontrollably. Seriously…
“Creepy…Listen, moms. Put down the ladder. Let go.”
Oh, for the love…I cannot stop laughing.
Jen says:
Your comment made me laugh. It is, in fact, the MIL scenario that makes this book particularly creep-tastic, for me. But the book has always creeped me out.
Sweet lady – drive that car with the ladder up to your therapist’s office and have a session or twelve on boundaries.
wayside wanderer says:
Do you know how many times this has book read at Christian women gatherings? I’ve been to several (things like Mom/daughter teas where you feel you have to go and like all the girly stuff going on when really you wish you were out eating Tex-Mex and drinking a margarita with mom/grandma.) All the older women in the room would be crying by the end of the book. o_O
My vote is very creepy. And it is super creepy to read this at women gatherings, too. Stop it!
My sons can rest knowing they are safe from me…at least in this regard. ha!
[email protected] says:
Ok, so I know I don’t comment much, but I just had to on this one. Funny that THIS post would bring out a regular lurker….but it did.
I cracked up. I have ALWAYS found this book SO CREEPY! Maybe it is because our marriage had to survive some “cut the cord” issues on one side…LOL. But that scene just weirds me out.
My husband and I don’t get how this book is so popular.
No tears shed here. But the windows are locked!!!
lindsay d. says:
too funny! i always thought this book was big-time cheesy, but the creepy thing makes sense too.
tons of people think it’s a sweet, touching story, but i think that’s only b/c someone made up a little song to go with the words…
Angi says:
So I was reading this and remembering how I loved when my dad would read it to me. I was expecting some cutesy ending about your love for your kids blah blah blah and I would be crying for days at the love of parents and kids.
And then I got to the end of your post and died of laughter. Seriously I never remembered this part or it’s creepiness. You had me laughing for a good five minutes.
I hope that if I ever do this to my kids they’ll put me into a home.
FreedbyJC says:
It’s only creepy if you want it to be…IMHoO, NOT creepy… what about the end of the book where their roles get reversed… Keep it in context folks… your mom will always be your mom…I’d love to be able to hug my mom…moms may want to come hug her grown sons but may not be able to see him but once every few years or for a few holidays … Love-true love- has no limits…
whimzie says:
I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was a senior in college and my boyfriend and I had just arrived at his parents’ home for a “Meet the Parents/Meet the New Girlfriend” weekend. His mom was an elementary school teacher and we were sitting around the kitchen table talking about favorite childhood books.
“Have you ever read LOVE YOU FOREVER?” she asked.
“Creepiest book EVER!” I proclaimed emphatically. “Moms who break into their adult sons’ bedroom at night should get therapy sessions or a restraining order for Mother’s Day.” I congratulated myself in my head for speaking like the good psychology major that I was.
Long pause. I think I may have even heard crickets.
Finally Chris’s mom spoke.
“Really? That’s one of my all-time favorite books” she said as I feverishly prayed for the Second Coming, an earthquake, an alien abduction, ANYTHING to get me out of that kitchen.
Thanks for digging up that feel-good memory, Shaun. I hadn’t thought about that one in a LONG time.
Shaun Groves says:
You’re welcome.
Awesome story.
Jen says:
HAHAHAHAHAHA that’s fantastic. I love it.
FzxGkJssFrk says:
I just love that there’s over 100 comments on this post…
gretchen says:
I’ve always thought it was creepy and snickered at it on many occasions. But for some reason, this post inspired me to do a little research on the author, Robert Munsch.
This is what he wrote about his book:
“Love You Forever started as a song.
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”
I made that up after my wife and I had two babies born dead. The song was my song to my dead babies. For a long time I had it in my head and I couldn’t even sing it because every time I tried to sing it I cried. It was very strange having a song in my head that I couldn’t sing.”
So now suddenly I feel strange laughing at it or thinking of it as psycho. He had to get it out. I think a lot of parents of dead babies would give anything to rock them, at any age. I am one of them. Sorta casts the book in a new light, at least for me.
cindi says:
This book was given to us when our son was born. My mother-in-law had passed away the month before so it was all the more upsetting to us. I never liked the book…thanks for this post. The book definitely goes in this year’s garage sale.
Ashley Crow says:
This is the book that Joey reads for Emma (Ross and Rachel’s daughter) for her birthday since he showed up with no gift. It was a great episode… HIs reading was hilarious and yet somehow I remember tearing up…cheesy… i know. I know.
RubberChickenGirl says:
I received that book in 1991 before the birth of my firstborn (now at boot camp in San Diego with a knee injury just before The Crucible and far away from God, please pray) was born. I read it dutifully for a couple years all the while thinking it was creepy. So, maybe that’s why he’s in need of therapy. Should have ditched it with the popular yet demented (to me) Where the Wild Things Are. Sigh.
RubberChickenGirl says:
Funny, but you posted this on his birthday….my marine recruit I just posted about I mean. You don’t have to post this part, just saying…he’s on my heart and I trust God’s too. I won’t climb in his barrack windows, though!
Dawn says:
It is creepy, but I think what always irritated me more, was that the kid was just such a jerk. I mean, over the top of brat and disrespectful idiot. So, the lady had no strength to teach her kid any discipline, but had the strength to hoist a ladder up secretly when she’s 70.
Of course, we all know the point is we’ll love them even when they do act like schmucks, but sheesh!
Shari Auger says:
I think as a small child being read this story that you feel loved by your mother and you learn that the love doesn’t stop when you move out but follows you where ever you go.
I think that an adult who never had this secure love from a mother may find it creepy to read. They can’t visualize the underlying message from a heart with missing pieces.
My kids loved this book and my 20 something daughter has requested a recordable version for her birthday.
Shaun Groves says:
Therefore…I have abad relationship with my mom? She didn’t love me?
Wow. All that from insight into my psyche from one blog post. You have a gift, my friend.
Sharon says:
Hmmm . . . I’ve always thought this book was creepy. I just kept thinking – “What must it be like to be married to this guy?!”
Jennifer says:
This is one of my favorite children’s books. It holds a special meaning to me. I have a son who is 18 and as a mother have felt sad about him growing up and where did all the years go. From here on out he’s going to be even more independant but I always want him to know I will love him forever. That’s what this book means to me..unconditional love. Sorry if some of you don’t get the meaning…maybe when your children grow up and you realize that they aren’t going to be little forever you will look at the book in a different way.
Liz says:
Never thought it was creepy, rather that it was about a mother’s love which endured. I gave all my children a copy and now I’m worried they thought it was creepy but didn’t want to tell me!!
Caitlin says:
Creepy. Even when I was a little kid it disconcerted me.
I’ve decided that when I am a mother some day I cannot do that to my kids: start with a sweet normal book and throw a creepy twist in the middle.
No, I’m going to start right up front with the creepy part, like the book When a Monster is Born. It’s honest right up front about its creepiness, I love it.
“When a monster is born there are two possibilities: Either it’s a far away in a forest monster, or an UNDER YOUR BED monster. If it’s a far away in a forest monster, then that’s that. If it’s an under your bed monster, there are two possibilities: either IT EATS YOU, and that’s that, or…”
Everybody needs a healthy dose of creepy in their lives, but let’s be honest about it up front.
Beth says:
Finally someone who views it like i do! My MIL bought this for my son years ago when he was a baby. She thought it was the sweetest book. I thought it was weird and creepy. The kids didnt like yhe story either. Lol
Kristen Strong says:
Always thought it was creepy, always will.
Andrea G says:
My son loved this book so much that he refused to allow me to read it to his little sisters.
Donna Bannister says:
I LOVE this book and its depiction of a mother’s love…I’ll love it forever and like it for always!! : )