Reading Divorce Through My Daughter’s Eyes
My daughter just finished reading Freckle Juice in class, then re-read it twice more on her own. She does tend to reread books these days, something I’ve done throughout my life. I told her I was planning to check out Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing for her, also by Judy Blume, but she surprised me by asking about It’s Not the End of the World. I wasn’t immediately familiar with that one by the author, even though, like I assume most people in my age bracket, I’ve read my share of Judy Blume books.
When I looked up the summary, I paused. The book is about a sixth-grade girl whose parents separate, and her fear that they’ll divorce. Given my own divorce and the way those ripples move through our family life, I couldn’t help but wonder: why did she ask about this book? Did she already know the theme? Did a friend mention it? I found it hard to believe it was total coincidence given that it was geared towards older kids.
I decided to read it myself first, just to get a sense of the way it shapes the story. Halfway through in less than an hour, I realized how strange and powerful this experience is: reading a story about divorce that was more meant for kids to read, as a parent who’d navigated divorce, while thinking about how my daughter will interpret it.
That’s the thing about books: reading is the most solitary of acts, yet it connects you to everyone who’s ever turned those same pages. My daughter may take comfort, or curiosity, or nothing at all from it. But she deserves the chance to face that story on her own terms, to see herself reflected, or not, through someone else’s words.