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FEATHERING OUR NESTS: O-MAMA’s Perspective on SPRING CLEANING

Spring is in the air.  The birds and the bees are flitting around doing their thing…nature abounds.  The birds are feathering their nests and laying their eggs, while the bees are busy pollinating every flower in the garden.  The air is crisp and clean.  Chirping and buzzing fills the air.

Everything seems fresh and new.  So, let’s take a new look at Spring, shall we? The first thing that comes to mind is cleaning. Ugggh.  But, let's talk about the birds and the bees instead...the part of the story that happens...

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Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch
  • Eileen Spinelli • 10 Comments
  • Tagged in: For Kids
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In my former life as a Kindergarten teacher, I remember thinking—every year—that if I were ever going to write a children’s book it would be a Valentine’s Day themed story because for some reason, there just aren’t that many.  And that is still true!  I just checked.  So I’m recommending an old favorite, and most likely one you’ve heard of already and may even own, but it’s worth digging it out of the book box or wherever.  And if you don’t have it, you and your kids are in for a treat.

 Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday.  Is it anyone’s favorite holiday?  My mom always bought us kids some chocolates—even through high school—so that was nice, but sadly, the only time of your life that you might actually care about something as stupid as Valentine’s Day is also the time in your life when the likelihood of disappointment is proportionately high.  High school.

 I went to a great big public high school.  Just like the movies.  Just like most everyone in the country.  Just like Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink.  And we had this hideous, tortuous tradition every February 14th.  I don’t know…they might still do this—I hope to God not.  Basically you could send a rose to anyone in school and the cheerleaders would deliver them at some point during the day—right in the middle of 3rd period or whatever.  So some girls would get literally dozens of roses and some would get none.  And it was the same girls every year--the same girls that glittered and gleamed on the Homecoming Court and the Prom Court and on the cheerleading squad and dated the quarterback.  Oh my god, it really was just like a hideous/ fabulous John Hughes film—God rest his brilliant soul.

 So, fast forward through high school, college—most of my 20’s, and I married someone exactly my age that actually went to MY high school—though I didn’t know him then.  I was trying to be a scholar/ athlete and get into college and he was in the “back parking lot” with his vespa, cigarettes and pompadour hairdo a la the Straycats.  So our paths did not cross.  The good news is we have the exact same pop culture references.  The bad news is he despises Valentines Day too—all holidays actually except for 4th of July.  Remember, he’s a marine. 

 So…the age old story…I think we had 1 Valentine’s Day together before we were married and I was showered in roses, cards, candy and love…and now…well, let’s not dwell on the negative.  And he has a totally valid point—what’s special about February 14th?  Why does he need to feel forced by society to PURCHASE jewelry, flowers etc.?  He doesn’t like to be forced to do anything—who does?  Anyway, I totally agree that it’s a manufactured, Hallmarky holiday, but the underlying message is a good one: LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…all you need is love? Right???  (and yes, there is a small (not that small) part of me that still wishes I were the homecoming queen and still wants a big sloppy, thorny bouquet on Valentine’s Day and some snappy little red teddy or something—so sue me.)

 Mr. Hatch—from this great book--has no love.  No friends.  He works in a factory.  His life is joyless, predictable, routine, loveless.  Its sounds strange and otherwordly almost, how dreary his life is, how sad; but the scary thing is, as an adult reading this book to a child, you can’t avoid confronting the notion that this kind of solitary existence is an absolute reality for some people. 

 I think for the child listening to the story, it sounds far-fetched: that a man would have no friends, not talk to anyone for days on end—no real human interaction.

 But as it turns out, all it takes for Mr. Hatch to change, is one gift of chocolates, on Valentine’s Day, which he receives out of the blue and which is signed only: “Somebody Loves You.”  And that’s all it takes:  he not only shares his chocolates, but reaches out to everyone around him—baking for people, hosting picnics, reading to kids, minding the newsstand for the shopkeeper.  Apparently he just needed to know that SOMEBODY LOVED HIM.

 Then the crusher:  the postman appears to tell Mr. Hatch that the package was meant for someone else—of course, Hatch quickly goes back to his self-defeating ways.  BUT, because he HAD reached out, he now has FRIENDS who CARE who now rally around him to say…we like you, we appreciate you, who cares about the silly chocolates—we think you ROCK.

 The illustrations are original and eye-catching,  Every child I’ve ever read it to loves it.  The message is a strong one—for all of us.  Give it to get it, right?