This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 11th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
My daughter doesn't have summer camp this week, so we've been enjoying "Mommy camp" instead. ("Mommy camp" means I entertain her and take her places, punctuated by lots of snacks.) I'll admit, being on full-time mom duty doesn't make for a very productive workweek! But I have been loving the quality time—and having a bit of a brain-break, after writing an entire book draft over the past month.
On Wednesday, we journeyed to the Central Park Zoo. I say "journey" purposefully, because it's almost an hour there by subway! I packed books, coloring, and yes, plenty of snacks. And, it turned out, I didn't need most of it.
As a writer for children, I hear a lot about how kids these days need constant stimulation. I hear that video games and phones and tablets have messed with their brains, leaving them unable to focus or just...be.
(In fact, I met a parent at the playground this week who expressed exactly this concern: when I shared that I write books for kids, he said that must be hard. I agreed, citing things like recent book industry changes; the ongoing issue of book bans and challenges; and how self-publishing has flooded the market with options for parents and kids to choose from. But what he meant was, do kids even read anymore? Don't they just watch screens?)
Don't get me wrong, my daughter loves screens. She is a TV-fiend. But I try really hard not to resort to iPhone videos and games when we're out and about. Instead, I pack books to read, notebooks and pens for drawing, a toy to play with. Videos do happen! This is not a brag about my awesome parenting skills. But I try to make it a last resort. I want her to do other things first.
On Wednesday, on the subway, I read an Owl Diaries book to her. On the ride home, I asked if she wanted to color or draw in her notebook. Nope! She wanted to snuggle and read the Owl Diaries book again.
I looked down at the over-stuffed backpack I'd been lugging around all day, realizing that I'd over-prepared. I hadn't needed all the extra activities. And sure, if I hadn't brought them, maybe she'd have melted down and we'd have ended up playing "Angry Birds" on my phone. But as we snuggled and read about young owl Eva helping her teacher, Miss Featherbottom, plan her woodland wedding, I thought about how kids do still crave quiet and calm—maybe because their daily lives can be so overstimulating.
And isn't that true for all of us?
Yesterday, when we got to our local playground mid-morning, I was initially disappointed that none of my parent-friends were there. As a part-time work-from-home writer-mom, most of my socializing happens while my kid is playing with someone else's kid. But the solitude ended up being a blessing in disguise. Instead of socializing, I sat on a bench and read a book. (Lisa Fipps's lovely middle-grade novel-in-verse, Starfish.) It was calming and comforting, and I would have been disappointed if someone had interrupted me.
Yesterday afternoon, it thunderstormed, so Mommy camp went indoors. We had a dance party and baked blueberry muffins and then spent almost an hour reading a book. My daughter curled up in bed as I read The Secret Lives of Mermaids, a faux-scientific account of the various merclans that live in oceans, rivers, and lakes around the world. She didn't ask to watch TV—at least, not until I'd said, "The End." She went into her evening calm and refreshed.
I think what I'm getting at here is that children's book authors aren't in danger because there's so much competition for kids' attention nowadays. We are necessary because there's so much competition for kids' attention. Our books can be a place where kids can hide from the outside world for a little while. Where they can be quiet and focused. Where they can imagine and dream.
Books can be a quiet, calm, safe place for kids.
Books can be a quiet, calm, safe place for adults, too.
When was the last time you truly lost yourself in a book? What about the kids in your life?
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: I finished Love, Theoretically on Wednesday and then read Starfish, which is a verse novel about a sixth-grade girl who is bullied for her weight. I'll be honest: this book made me cry—first sad, empathetic tears and then happy, hopeful ones.
Watching: The new season of "Only Murders in the Building" has begun! Are you a fan of this comedic murder mystery?
Tasting: I bought myself some fancy hot cocoa mix a few weeks ago, and it has been a delight to occasionally treat myself to fancy hot cocoa after a long day. Do you have a splurge like this in your life?
Loving: It can be exhausting, but exploring NYC with my kiddo is truly the best. Here she is, striking a pose in Central Park.
