My wife and I are trying to build a house. We have a lot of know how and raw materials. I have lots of hammers and saws, my wife nails and screws and fasteners. We have everything we need. But the house I grew up in flooded in the basement when it rained and my wife’s was cold and dark every winter. We know what we want to build, but we don’t have any blueprints. Our couples therapist, along with our spiritual practice, allow us to become the architects of a home in which we can flourish. Ilene helps us use our tools and resources to build something substantial and sustainable, with solid supports. Otherwise my wife and I would be like some kind of Three Stooges act, with me clobbering myself in the hand with a hammer while she spins around trying to hoist too much lumber. We still gets splinters and we screw things up but Ilene helps us remember why we put on our hard hats and come into work every morning.
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss has been delighting children for generations and my daughter is no exception. I've probably read it to her 100 times by now. Unlike many children's books, each new reading of Hop on Pop reveals something new in the text. Buried in the subversive narrative, I think I've found evidence which can prove Hop on Pop is an early example of Queer Children's Literature. First, let's consider the title. The idea of 'Hopping' on pop is subversive as it suggests leaping atop conventional symbols of power, in this instance "Pop." The title also connotes "Daddy" imagery which is popular in gay culture. In further examining Hop on Pop's homosexual connotations, we come to Red, Ned, Ted and Ed, four males seen here sharing a bed. It's possible this image is just a rendering of young boys at a sleepover, perhaps there's nothing sexual or gay about it. However, considered in the larger context of the na...
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