Loving Ourselves and Our Children Whole

I’ve fallen in love with the children's book, "Corduroy." Just like Lisa, the little girl in Don Freeman’s children’s book, who buys Corduroy from the toy department with her piggy bank savings.

Corduroy sadly believes that his missing button is why he’s still on the shelf instead of at home with the little girl so he goes on a search to find his button.

Lisa reappears and buys Corduroy anyway, loving him whole, despite his missing button. Once at home with Lisa, she sews a new button for Corduroy but says “I like you the way you are but you’ll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened.” Truly moved by this loving statement, I emphasized for my daughter the message that Corduroy is perfect just the way he is. The button will only make life a little easier for him.

I feel this message is so important, for parents to love themselves as they are and extend a wholistic love to their children, particularly in a world where we are inundated with messages attempting to convince us that we are deficient and marketing that sells us things to fill the hole.

A second empowering message in this wonderful book is the concept of home. On his button-finding-journey, Corduroy believes he has found a palace (the second floor of the department store) but when Lisa shows him his new room, although much smaller than the palace, he knows he has found a home, something he’s always wanted.

Don Freeman reminds us that the people in our lives, our friendships and relationships, trump an empty, lonely feeling palace. If you have both, wonderful but if the material isn’t filling the void, it’s time to rethink priorities and reconnect with what’s most important.
Corduroy is a wonderful expression of loving ourselves and our children whole and captures the essence of true fulfillment.

This book can be enjoyed by children, teenagers and adults.