The Warren & The World Vol 5, Issue 23

The Warren & the World is Story Warren’s weekly newsletter, providing a round-up of our favorite things from around the web as well as a review of what was on our site over the past week. We’re glad you’re here!

Around the Web

A Letter to My Son on Father’s Day

Approaching Father’s Day, Rachel Wojo has a piece at Dayspring in which she shares with her son the wisdom of being a parent that she learned from her father.

When I was your age, I wondered if I would ever have a family of my own. I pondered what my husband would look like and how many babies I’d have. Whether they would be boys or girls. What color hair and eyes they would have. Who would you look like? What would you like to eat? What would you NOT like to eat? And so my imagination ran with thoughts of raising my own family. As a teenager, I often vowed I would not “turn into my parents” one day. Only because I didn’t recognize at the time what a wonderful thing that would be.

Daniel Tiger’s Rhythms of Grace

Nathaniel Valle explores the rhythms of grace that this TV show for young ones brings to its half hour.

One of the perks of becoming a dad has been finding an excuse to watch more cartoons. My daughter is too young to enjoy (or, thankfully, to reject) classic shows from my childhood, so our limited screen time involves shows explicitly aimed at the toddler demographic. The one that easily won her favor is Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a continuation of Fred Rogers’s legacy at PBS. The show adapts and expands the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, paying homage to the lovable, shy puppet that appeared on the initial episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

My Daddy Rules the World by Hope Anita Smith

Janie at Redeemed Reader recommends this lovely picture book full of poems that honor dads.

The name “Daddy” should conjure up all kinds of warm images in our memories: wrestler, tickler, provider, corrector, Sunday-morning breakfast-cooker, counselor and friend. Blessed indeed is the child with an involved father.

Dear Kids, When I Fail…

Jess at Wonderoak writes to her children about the times she fails as a mom.

Dear kids,
Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I see that you’ve grown over night. Your face is more defined, your eyes look older. A part of me is excited and in awe; I know you have so much ahead of you. Another part is scared because time is racing and I can’t slow it down. I’m afraid that I haven’t always been awake and noticing, and that somehow I have slept through the magic of your growing. I wonder, have I enjoyed you enough? Have I given you what you needed? Is your heart still whole? Is your spirit unbroken?
I’m not always good at this. I’m not always as good as I want to be at being your mom. I want to be great; and sometimes I am, but sometimes I’m not.

Around the Warren

The Art of Days – Part One

Rebecca Reynolds walks us through her yearly parenting fatigue.

My husband can tell that my annual bout of parenting fatigue has arrived when I lock myself in our bedroom with the laptop and a half-pint of Starbucks Java Chip ice cream. I’ll sit on the bed crying into a soft old t-shirt from college, rattle around YouTube, and occasionally whimper, “I can’t do this any more.” It’s not my most glamorous mommy moment, but it seems to be inevitable. Once a year, my strength just runs out.

Books for Boys 2.0

Julie Silander has updated her classic Books for Boys list to version 2.0, adding in recently published future classics, just in time for summer.

It’s been a few years since we’ve updated the Books for Boys list, so we’ve upgraded just in time for the summer.
A few thoughts about the list:
All books listed would be equally enjoyed by girls. A good book is a good book. However, girls tend to read a wider variety of stories than do boys. Hence, this book list was born. Consider it a subset of great books rather than a separate list.
Reading level and maturity varies greatly from child to child. The age guidelines are approximate. Many younger children may be ready to read books that appear on the older kids’ list, while some big kids may need to read easier books in order to build confidence and fluency.