Writing has always been an important part of my life. When I was a kid, I kept a variety of journals (I was obsessed with Amelia’s Notebook and tried very hard, and unsuccessfully, to emulate it). As an adult, I mostly keep my writing in secret folders on my computer, or in composition books that I hide under my bed. I even have about 200 pages of a young adult novel on my computer that I assume will never see the light of day. Until a few weeks ago, I rarely shared my writing with anyone, including my husband.
Despite my reluctance to share my own writing with the world, I have been an avid reader of other people’s blogs for a while. And, despite actively choosing to spend my free time reading said blogs, I have often been pretty critical of them. At times, I have even laughed at them. I have been known to argue that certain blogs promote an unrealistic picture of life, relationships, or motherhood. Or that they are materialistic, self-centered, and showy. While this can, in some instances, be true, if I’m being totally honest with myself, my desire to pick apart others’ work is probably more rooted in jealousy and resentment, and a fear that if I put myself out there in a real way, I would be laughed at, or made fun of too.
Rosie Revere, Engineer, by Andrea Beaty (and BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by David Roberts) is about a little girl (named Rosie, of course), who also has a dream (she wants to be an inventor) but is afraid of the judgment of others.
Her insecurity is rooted in an experience she had with “Zookeeper Fred,” who laughed at her attempt to build a “python-deterring” hat. After this encounter, she continues to invent in secret, and hides her over-the-top creations from the world.
Eventually, Rosie takes a risk, and shows another of her inventions to her beloved Great Aunt Rose. The invention, once again, is a flop, and Rosie is completely mortified when her aunt laughs at her. However, Aunt Rose is a little more perceptive than Zookeeper Fred, and notices that this reaction is causing Rosie to dissolve into a puddle of shame. Aunt Rose immediately stops laughing, and tells Rosie that she isn’t laughing at her, but with her. Aunt Rose explains that being a real inventor is all about taking risks, laughing at yourself when they don’t work out, and finding joy in the smallest of successes (like the fact that, for a brief moment, Rosie’s invention did work).
This book is important, because it encourages kids to take risks. It also reminds them that failure is an important, and inevitable side effect of risk-taking. In an age where everyone’s successes are so aggressively on display, Rosie teaches readers to love their losses, and re-frame “failure” as “learning.”
This book is also an important reminder to us adults of just how sensitive kids are (even when they pretend they’re not), and how easy it is for them to misinterpret our actions and responses to their behavior. None of the adults Rosie encountered meant to squash her dreams, but their good intentions still don’t make up for the hurtful impact. One of my big takeaways here is that it is my job, as a parent, teacher, and adult in general, to think, not just about how I treat kids, but whether that treatment actually ends up having the kind of effect I thought it would.
Lastly, this book resonated with me on a personal level because it reminded me of something I learned long ago, but have somehow forgotten in adulthood: that refusing to take risks because I’m worried about what others will think is pretty silly.
So, after reading it to my daughter for the first time a few months ago, I dragged those secret folders to my desktop, and started this blog.
I am sure someone I know (or lots of people I know) have seen my blog, or my Instagram, and made fun of it. Maybe they think it’s dumb, or too personal, or just bad writing. But whatever I think people think shouldn’t matter. Because, as Rosie reminded me, the laughter is just part of the learning, which is what, ultimately, allows us to reach for our dreams.
The Book! (Click to Purchase)
Other FABULOUS Books by Harry Abrams:
For the kiddos, check out anything by Joan Walsh Anglund. Great illustrations!