Otto Goes To Bed

I love Todd Parr. He's a children's author, and my son is in love with Otto Goes To Bed, a book about a loveable dog who would rather do anything but go to bed. But eventually Otto learns that going to bed brings forth a new day and new possibilities for fun. Learn more about the author here.

I've been inspired by Todd Parr to pen my own short story. I call it "Mama Stays in Bed," and I dedicate it to work-at-home-but-never-get-paid stay-at-home moms everywhere.


Get out of bed, mama!

But mama doesn't want to get out of bed. She doesn't want to think about all the things she has to do all day, like...

Making the bed...
Changing dirty diapers...
Doing the laundry...
And figuring out new and exciting ways to keep a 16-month-old entertained day after day after day while yearing for the opportunity to shower more often than every 3 or 4 days.

So mama stays in bed, ignoring the calls of her husband and child, and she dreams of all the fun things she wishes she could do all day, like...

Shower.
Have a cup of tea.
Read a magazine that isn't 4 years old, sticky, and in a doctor's waiting room.
Get her hair cut.
Go for a drive - just because - and listen to one of her cd's on the stereo instead of Laurie Berkner's Victor Vito on repeat for the 27th time.

But mama gets up, like she always does, pads down the stairs, and starts the day. Don't misunderstand - mama loves her baby boy, and would walk to the ends of the Earth and back for him through fire and bats and the landlords from hell - but boy, would she love a day off, especially before Baby #2 comes along and sleep as she knows it ceases to exist for-ev-er.

The end.

Todd Parr is way better at crafting stories than I am. That's why he's the author. I have advanced degrees in psychology, so I can analyze the daylights out of why he writes about what he does, but that's probably of no interest to anyone other than Mr. Parr himself. His books are difficult to find live and in person in the typical bookstore chains, but if you're so inclined, do a bit of Googling and read a synopsis or two - I guarantee that you and your child will love him as much as we do.


*disclaimer - this post was meant to be humorous, and to give a shout-out to the author of one of my son's favorite books. i didn't plagarize from mr. parr's book (i'm neither obama nor his speech writer), but simply adapted the story to tell my own. if you are mr. parr or some kind of representation for mr. parr and you see fit to sue me for alleged plagarism - don't bother. if you read my blog regularly, you'll know why.