Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Tube down them instead! Books about facing your fears.

Hello, my beautiful humans! What are you doing to beat the heat? Yesterday my family and I floated the river, which was pretty fun and funny. The end of the float is a series of small but mighty waterfall chutes that you get to tube down, if you dare. To date, the falls have flipped me more often than not, and have claimed several precious sunglasses right off my face. The entire float my eldest was guessing how far we were from the falls (the river version of “are we there yet?!”) with that nervous anticipatory energy that only can be summoned when you are about to do something you are equally excited and terrified of. I loved watching his little mind reel, psyching himself up for the big moment.

When we finally made it to the falls, my littlest and I went to get a good seat to watch. I received a shock when I saw my husband go down the chute alone in his tube, with my son ON HIS OWN following close behind (don’t worry, he had a life vest on and he knows how to swim). Did I panic on the inside? Yes, but only a little.

ACTUAL shot of the ACTUAL falls chute, just not actually taken by me

I am so glad to have a partner who pushes me beyond my comfort zone and proves to me (and to my kid) that we are not only ready for things that scare us, but ready to face them alone. Even if I am on the sideline holding my breath. The win is that we both get to feel even more proud, excited, and accomplished than if he had been sitting on a lap.

At some point in parenting, in life, you just gotta jump (or tube). A baby bird doesn’t learn to fly by sitting in the nest and watching forever. This newsletter was my jumping out of the nest. I am still scared to write it some days, but I also feel proud and happy knowing that I did it!

Soon (in a month but lets face it, I think about it every single day) my eldest will start kindergarten and we are both going to feel like we are in absolute free fall. We are both looking over the edge and thinking “hmmm, are you sure this is a good idea?”

My greatest hope is that I won’t hold my breath the WHOLE day he is gone, and that when he comes home he will have that same light in his eyes as he did after he went down the falls, the glitter and shine, the bounce in his step and pride bursting out of his heart that one can only achieve when they actually do something that scares them.

I tell my kids all the time that the only way to be brave is to be scared. If you aren’t scared of something, then it takes no bravery to get through it. Even though I want to go sit in his classroom and hold his hand through his first day of kindergarten I know that to be a good mama bird I have to let him fly on his own, no matter how scary it might seem.

Whatever fun thing you are doing to beat the heat I hope you find new and exciting ways to get outside of your comfort zone and experience that rare sense of accomplishment that can only occur when you push yourself to a new limit.

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LIT TIP

Reading aloud can be scary! When your child is first learning to read you may notice a lot of hesistency around reading aloud. It is hard to trust that they are still reading when they are looking at a book silently, but allowing them that space to practice on their own can help them build confidence! Before you know it, you will find your kid reading all kinds out things aloud. I always want to jump for joy or clap or give them a gold medal, but sometimes the thing that is more effective is a quieter and calmer reaction, something that reinforces the message “I knew you could do it all along.”

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FROM THE STAX

WHALE SHINES by Fiona Robinson

“Once upon a tide” (good one!) a Whale is working as an advertisement for an underwater art show! The whale really wants to partake, but doesn’t believe he has anything to offer to the world at large. With a little encouragement (and help) from some biolumiescent plankton, Whale discovers that there is something beautiful that they can show the world.

Sometimes the best way to find your bravery is to have a good encouraging friend. I know I wouldn’t have started this substack without my friend

Niamh Fahy

telling me I could and should. Be the cheerleading plankton for that reluctant whale friend in your life! This book will teach your kids (and you) about encouragement, inspiration, and being brave. Plus there are some quippy little puns.

CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME by Jessica Meserve

Jack is a very quiet boy in a very loud family. One day he decides to climb the mountain, and he tries (in a very hilarious sequence) to let everyone in his family know about his plan. Whether or not they heard him is in question. When his adventures on the mountain go a little sideways Jack has to find his loud voice to help him find his way home.

Ho boy, have I felt like hollering this question once or a thousand times in my life. As a middle child from a loud and boisterous family, I am constantly plagued by the fear (knowledge) that I am not being heard. Unlike Jack, I am not particularly quiet, but maybe I’ve had years of practice finding my loud voice. I always am encouraging my kids to use their “strong voice” when they want to be heard, and in this sweet book Jack is encouraged by a surprise friend who always hears him. This is all we need in the world, one friend who can always hear us. I loved this story and if you ever feel like nobody is listening, I know you will love this story too.

LIBRARY MOUSE by Daniel Kirk

Sam is the library mouse! By day he hides in his home, by night he comes out and reads every book he can get his paws on. One fateful night Sam decides to write a book of his own and leave it amongst the others on the shelf. His book is received with enthusiasm, so he creates more and more! After a few successful titles, the librarian leaves a note, hoping to meet Sam and hold a special event for him. Sam is nervous about revealing his true self to the library so he devises a clever plan which allows him to maintain his anonymity while encouraging creativity.

As a creative who is often afraid to create, I had to include this little book about overcoming fear and finding the creative inside us all. This book might have your kids asking for materials to create their own stories, so be prepared to pull out the paper and pencils! The library we visited over the summer in Washington showcased some “books” written by its patrons and I thought that was a very special and clever way to encourage kids to start writing. I may see if my local library is willing to do the same.

PERFECT PIGEONS by Katherine Battersby

A flock of pigeons is perfect because every single pigeon is just like every single other pigeon. Right? Only one pigeon seems to be doing things their own way. The other pigeons confront the odd one out only to discover that perhaps they should all embrace the idea of their own individuality. Then, of course, they are all the same because of how they all like to be different.

This book is not so much about being afraid, but more about being brave enough to be true to yourself and stand up to those who think it isn’t the “right” way to be. To have the courage to like the things you like despite what others think about it. I have two kids, one who is a bit more prone to go the way of the crowd and one who doesn’t give two flying pigeons what the rest of the people are doing and will absolutely go their own way come hell or high water. Despite being a bit more difficult to parent at times, I find I worry a bit less about the latter personality, hoping that they will continue to be fully themselves without letting the outside world telling them who they need to be.

CIRCLE by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Circle, Triangle and Square are playing hide and seek and there is only one rule: don’t go behind the waterfall. Why? Because it is dark and scary back there. When Circle closes their eyes to count, Triangle, who isn’t afraid of the dark, immediately goes behind the waterfall and the usual Barnett/Klassen silliness ensues. I have reviewed Square and Triangle in the shape series already, so it is about time I finished it off with Circle!

If you haven’t read this author illustrator duo, please do yourself a favor and pick up ANY of their books. They absolutely will not disappoint. We love this shape trilogy so much. Each book in this series tells a different silly story that captures a different little lesson. Circle is about encountering the unexpected, and offers a big life question as the moral: If you can’t see or understand something, does that mean it is scary? Something to ponder while you giggle at the antics of these silly shapes.

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CHAT WITH ME!

• What obstacles are you facing in your life that you are a wee bit afraid of?

• How did you handle the transition to kindergarten/daycare?

• What recent accomplishment has your kid beaming with pride?

• Any great books you love to read about facing your fears?

Thanks as always for being here and being so great! See you next week and happy reading y’all!