Parenting books can be a real punish. But what if they were written somehow less like an instruction manual and more like, I don’t know…something you can relate to? . Mamamia Contributor and children’s author Kate Hunter has just reread To Kill a Mockingbird. She writes:
“This is the book that almost everyone lists as one of their top ten. Lawyers cite Atticus Finch as the reason they chose their profession and more than a few babies have been named Scout and Jem after Harper Lee’s characters.If you haven’t read it since school and you now have kids in your life, read it again. It’s a revelation on so many levels; as an evocation of time and place, as a courtroom drama, and as a parenting guide. I’m sure Harper Lee (who never had kids, but I believe she had an awesome father) never intended this last interpretation, but it’s there on every page.
When I’m troubled by my kids, or worried by something I read in the papers, before I Google the problem, I ask, ‘what would Atticus Finch do?’
Top Comments
I am one of those that became a lawyer because I read TKAM way too many times. The first time I went backpacking, it was one of 2 books I kept in my backpack, kind of like a security blanket that comforted me during my 18 months away from home. So to me, Atticus can do no wrong. I don't want any deconstructions of The Great White, the futility of hope and the law etc. Save it, or keep it to yourself people, I love Atticus. Husband, if you're reading this, I want to be cremated with my copy, Yes, you heard me.
Parents who insist their children CAN'T walk anywhere are just breeding hate and fear of everything different from them or outside of their knowledge. It takes a good parent to see that sometimes, kids need to walk home from school. Most attacks on children are made by people who know them in a familiar environment anyway - it's actually safer.