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What We Can Learn About Ourselves from Dr. Seuss
A popular Dr. Seuss book teaches us that we are perfectly fine the way we are, thank you very much.
When my kids were younger, we read a lot of Dr. Seuss books. Prior to becoming a parent, I’d vaguely heard of Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel and who wasn’t even a real doctor. But nonetheless, he played an important role in children’s fiction, so much so that I found myself bringing back endless amounts of his books to read to my own kids.
For the most part, we no longer read Dr. Seuss as often as we used to, but the pages of his books are stilled filled with timeless lessons that I’ve taken to heart. One such favorite is the title I Wish I Had Duck Feet.
The book is about a little boy who’s not happy about his feet. He wishes he had another type of feet, the kind that allows him to reach tough places, the kind that he can brag about to his friends. This is so that he wouldn’t have to wear shoes, he could play with other children, and announce how special he is.
And so, he goes through all of the scenarios in his mind about all the things that would happen if he had duck feet.
Problem is, his mother would not approve. Nor would his father.