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Listen and Learn By Ashley Kronstedt
Once upon a time… (well actually it was about fifteen years ago but that’s not quite as fun so let’s stick with that) there was a little girl who thought the world of her parents and grandparents. She’d do anything to make them happy and was completely unaware that all that she had to do to make them happy was to be herself.
You see, this little girl thought the world of her family and in her eyes they were perfect. She wanted to be just like them. If they were pleased with something that she did then it must be a good thing to do because, to her, they never did anything wrong. Succeeding above their expectations made her feel good and she loved receiving praise.
One day, Her grandparents decided to get her a book to read to her. Horatio’s Bed it was called. Grandpa, as the little girl called him, purchased it because the main character shared his same name. After all, a good strong name like James is something to be proud of.
Grandpa sat with the little girl on the Little Tikes picnic bench that they’d built together. The little girl couldn’t wait for him to read to her!
She loved building and creating new things. Grandpa always had something exciting when he visited; a new joke, a fun story, a project, just anything!
“All night Horatio could not sleep.” “He tossed and turned and wriggled and rolled.”
“’Is it your bed?’ asked James. ‘I haven’t got a bed,’ Horatio said. “Then let’s make you one,’ said James.” Grandpa read to the little girl. She stared wide eyed at the pictures and soaked in every word that Grandpa said.
The little girl listened to every word. She sat with rapt attention as Grandpa told her all about how hard James worked to make Horatio the perfect bed. After Grandpa finished reading, she kept the book to look at the pictures. That was the other thing that Grandpa liked about the book, James was an engineer just like he had been. Could he find a better story book role model for his darling granddaughter? He certainly didn’t think so.
The next day…… “Grandpa, can I read this to you?”
“Of course you can,” Grandpa said, more than happy to humor her. As the little girl opened Horatio’s Bed, Grandpa stared in disbelief as she sat and read every word to him, page for page. She finished and turned to him, eager to see how he would respond. Would he be happy with her?
The little girl had been raised to value intelligence. She knew that learning to read would help make her “a big girl”. She hoped that by doing what Grandpa had done she would make him proud of her and she would be just like him.
Grandpa couldn’t believe what he’d just heard and seen. The little girl had read an entire book to him without so much as an introduction to the alphabet beforehand! Her parents and grandparents were speechless. How could a three year old possibly read a book on her own?! OMG!!!!!!!
Their amazed faces meant the world to her, proving that they were pleased with what she had done.
Then came the explanation • Amazed at their daughter’s feat, her parents asked her to read other books that she had. She couldn’t read them and she became very upset because she didn’t want to disappoint her family after seeing how much they all loved it when she read the last book. Hoping to remedy the situation, the little girl picked up Horatio’s Bed again and read it to them. Relief washed over her as smiles appeared on their faces. As she sat contented at pleasing them, her parents and grandparents smiled to themselves as they realized her secret. She hadn’t read Horatio’s Bed, she had merely memorized it from hearing Grandpa read it to her and had recited it back to them page for page.
As her grandparents sat and looked adoringly upon her, the little girl’s mom pulled her to one side. “Honey, we are all very proud of you. But I want you to know that we are proud of you all the time. You don’t have to do everything perfect. Do you know what Horatio’s Bed is all about?”
“No, Mommy.” “Well, James is trying to make Horatio the perfect bed so that he can sleep. He tries and tries but every bed is just not right, until Horatio finally falls fast asleep in James sock while James is trying to make a bed. You see, James was trying so hard to be perfect but all he really needed to do was just be himself because that’s who Horatio loved. You’re the same way, you don’t have to do anything to please us but to be you, YOU make us happy, honey,” her mother said.
The little girl thought about what her mom had told her. She smiled and wrapped her mom in a big hug. Who needs to know how to read when you have a family who loves you so much?
Well maybe that’s too much… But, this is a true story and I know that for a fact. While it may not have been my first time reading, it was an eye opening experience and a story that I love to hear told. I still have Horatio’s Bed too and my grandpa still smiles about James the engineer. Maybe that book is the reason that I want to be an engineer when I grow up…..
And I still want to please my family and do my best for them. But, I’ve learned something very important about being perfect and happiness. First, there’s no such thing as “perfect” and no matter how hard you push yourself you’ll never be perfect. Secondly, if someone loves you, then they love you for your good and bad. You can do your best and want to succeed but you should always do it for yourself and not someone else. My parents still are and always will be the best in my eyes and their happiness is very important to me. But, even when I don’t do the right thing, I know that they still love me and want the best for me.
Works Cited • Ashforth, Camilla. Horatio's Bed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1992. Print. • Cartoon. Flower Power Fundraising, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <www.flowerpowerfundraising.com>. • Horatio's Bed. N.d. Photograph. Amazon. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. • Little Tykes. Advertisement. ToysRUs. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. • Perry, Pamela. "Little Girl Hugging Her Mom." Cartoon. Cartoon Clip Art. Acclaim Images, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. • Cartoon. Education Events. Keeping You Well, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.
