Jo is a wiser young woman than I was. She sees her childhood while she’s still in it, and she’s enjoying it thoroughly. She doesn’t want it to end. I didn’t have that ability to look at my own childhood and see what was good or bad about it while it was happening. And I don’t share Jo’s opinion that it’s terrible to grow up. That’s probably because the expectations were so different for her than they were for me when I was approaching young adulthood. It was exciting to think about growing up, and what I would get to do, both in terms of my career and my love life. Not that it was actually 100% rosy in real life, when the time came. (But it’s been good, very good. ☺️)
Also, someone should tell Jo that when you get to be about 50 years old, you begin to love your siblings again, dearly. (If you’re lucky, like I am.) I enjoy spending time with my siblings so very much! We appreciate each other today in ways we never did when we were kids.
This made me smile because I know you in real life -- I was certainly Jo-March-ish when it came to not wanting to grow up (one complaint being grown ups just sit around and talk?? Like how boring??) but also, the discovery that when you are finally done with school, you will forever be tasked with this giant homework project called TAXES. I guess some people are more intimidated by taxes than others 😅 I once created a pie chart poster to explain to my parents why I was overworked as a tween with too many chores and homework and should be allowed to enjoy my fleeting childhood because the only thing that awaited me as an adult was endless taxes. (When I take those "Which little women character are you?" tests, I get AMY, perhaps it has something to do with my flair for the dramatic).
I think about this now as a parent -- what impression am I giving off of adulthood? Feels like one of those things in life that has a ditch on either side that it is easy to fall into -- the nostalgia of childhood OR the hurrying and longing for the future, rather than a joyful contentment of where we are at in life and a joyful hope for the future.
1) You grew up dreading TAXES. I grew up not thinking about taxes one bit. Joke’s on me because I ended up working for the IRS. 🤭
2) I need to see that pie chart poster!
3) When our kids were teens, my husband and I would often complain about our jobs during dinner. One day our oldest son said, “So this is what I have to look forward to?” And we were like, “Yeah, sort of.” 🤭 No “Parent of the Year” award for us!
Also, your post reminded me of my kids. My 4.5 year old son recently told me he wants to talk to the tooth fairy about him and his siblings never growing up and never dying. My oldest laments the approach to his birthday a little each year because he loves the age he's at so much! I do wonder how to nurture Marmee's call to contentment in my own family.
I picked up Little Women when I saw you were hosting this read along. I've just finished Part 1 and now I'm touching base here! You're right, John Brooke does come off a bit lame in the movies! I've realised I know the story so much better from the films (the 1994 one was my school sick day watch), so I've enjoyed reading it, noticing the word play and experiencing it through the book.
Great questions! Also, I am reading How to Inhabit Time right now too, but hadn't made the connection to LW. Love it.
I felt John Brooke's offer to go with Marmee to Washington stood out to me more this time, but maybe it's because I read Marmee by Sarah Miller last year, and the scenes that imagined the two of them interacting during that high-stress time were some of my favorite additions/subtext to how the Marches view Meg's beau.
I do kind of feel like Aunt March's chapter coming at the end mirrors her attempt to always get the last word. She seems like the type who Has No Time for Nonsense like neat literary structures. And the way she accidentally saved Meg from being an annoying string-him-along flirt was just perfect. (Although that bit also made me feel the age/maturity difference between Meg and John a little too sharply for comfort.)
Oh! I'm glad to get a rec on the Marmee book! I haven't read it yet, but it is on my TBR. I read one from Amy's perspective that was so-so last year, so it made me hesitant. John Brooke comes off a bit lame in the movies I think, but in the book I think his steadfastness really shines. I mean, someone (I forget if it's the author, or Jo herself) calls him Mr Greatheart -- and picturing him as Christiana's guide from Pilgrim's Progress is probably the highest compliment she can pay!
YES for Aunt March getting the final word! How perfect. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Jo is a wiser young woman than I was. She sees her childhood while she’s still in it, and she’s enjoying it thoroughly. She doesn’t want it to end. I didn’t have that ability to look at my own childhood and see what was good or bad about it while it was happening. And I don’t share Jo’s opinion that it’s terrible to grow up. That’s probably because the expectations were so different for her than they were for me when I was approaching young adulthood. It was exciting to think about growing up, and what I would get to do, both in terms of my career and my love life. Not that it was actually 100% rosy in real life, when the time came. (But it’s been good, very good. ☺️)
Also, someone should tell Jo that when you get to be about 50 years old, you begin to love your siblings again, dearly. (If you’re lucky, like I am.) I enjoy spending time with my siblings so very much! We appreciate each other today in ways we never did when we were kids.
This made me smile because I know you in real life -- I was certainly Jo-March-ish when it came to not wanting to grow up (one complaint being grown ups just sit around and talk?? Like how boring??) but also, the discovery that when you are finally done with school, you will forever be tasked with this giant homework project called TAXES. I guess some people are more intimidated by taxes than others 😅 I once created a pie chart poster to explain to my parents why I was overworked as a tween with too many chores and homework and should be allowed to enjoy my fleeting childhood because the only thing that awaited me as an adult was endless taxes. (When I take those "Which little women character are you?" tests, I get AMY, perhaps it has something to do with my flair for the dramatic).
I think about this now as a parent -- what impression am I giving off of adulthood? Feels like one of those things in life that has a ditch on either side that it is easy to fall into -- the nostalgia of childhood OR the hurrying and longing for the future, rather than a joyful contentment of where we are at in life and a joyful hope for the future.
Several things:
1) You grew up dreading TAXES. I grew up not thinking about taxes one bit. Joke’s on me because I ended up working for the IRS. 🤭
2) I need to see that pie chart poster!
3) When our kids were teens, my husband and I would often complain about our jobs during dinner. One day our oldest son said, “So this is what I have to look forward to?” And we were like, “Yeah, sort of.” 🤭 No “Parent of the Year” award for us!
That's what made me laugh. The IRS: One person's nightmare, another person's career! :D
Also, your post reminded me of my kids. My 4.5 year old son recently told me he wants to talk to the tooth fairy about him and his siblings never growing up and never dying. My oldest laments the approach to his birthday a little each year because he loves the age he's at so much! I do wonder how to nurture Marmee's call to contentment in my own family.
I picked up Little Women when I saw you were hosting this read along. I've just finished Part 1 and now I'm touching base here! You're right, John Brooke does come off a bit lame in the movies! I've realised I know the story so much better from the films (the 1994 one was my school sick day watch), so I've enjoyed reading it, noticing the word play and experiencing it through the book.
Yes, I grew up with the 1994 version, and it's so comforting!
Great questions! Also, I am reading How to Inhabit Time right now too, but hadn't made the connection to LW. Love it.
I felt John Brooke's offer to go with Marmee to Washington stood out to me more this time, but maybe it's because I read Marmee by Sarah Miller last year, and the scenes that imagined the two of them interacting during that high-stress time were some of my favorite additions/subtext to how the Marches view Meg's beau.
I do kind of feel like Aunt March's chapter coming at the end mirrors her attempt to always get the last word. She seems like the type who Has No Time for Nonsense like neat literary structures. And the way she accidentally saved Meg from being an annoying string-him-along flirt was just perfect. (Although that bit also made me feel the age/maturity difference between Meg and John a little too sharply for comfort.)
Oh! I'm glad to get a rec on the Marmee book! I haven't read it yet, but it is on my TBR. I read one from Amy's perspective that was so-so last year, so it made me hesitant. John Brooke comes off a bit lame in the movies I think, but in the book I think his steadfastness really shines. I mean, someone (I forget if it's the author, or Jo herself) calls him Mr Greatheart -- and picturing him as Christiana's guide from Pilgrim's Progress is probably the highest compliment she can pay!
YES for Aunt March getting the final word! How perfect. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!