Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Aint it the truth

A line that struck me as I read the Virgin Suicides the other night.....

From Chapter 3
" At that moment Mr. Lisbon had the feeling that he didn't know who she was, that children were only strangers you agreed to live with, and he reached out in order to meet her for the first time."

I think that we can all relate to that on some level, whether it be as a child or as a parent.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just read that part. For a minute it scared me, but I realized I was readingmy book with one child asleep on each side of me, and I felt pretty good about how well I know my kids.

That being said, they are only two years old and I pretty much hang out with them all day, every day. Maybe it will be different when they are in school.

Andie D. said...

Haven't started the book yet. Buying it (finallly) tomorrow.

This is one of my fears as a parent. That I will lose touch with my kids. My adoptive mother lost touch with my sister and I to an extent that we never reconnected. I don't ever want that to happen to my kids.

Mrs Big Dubya said...

I think that's why it resonated so strongly with me -- it's a concept that terrifes me when I look at my own children, but on some level, (despite being extremely close with my family) I can relate to it.

Not From Lapland said...

I have just recieved the book today! Yeay! Now i can play catch up.

arm_chair_rebel said...

the feeling i get is that that is much more a man/dad issue. the whole stereotypical man thing that they are not big on emotional relationships.

i have a 17 year old and i totally move between "this is my same little girl" and "this is somebody who is almost an adult that i don't know at all"

in a way it could be a positive thing to reach out to your child at different times "in order to meet him/her for the first time."