Who else has trouble reading an emotional book to your children?

[Only me]

I'm the biggest baby when it comes to crying over commercials or books. I just finished reading Stone Fox to my ds. I didn't realize what the ending would be like. It probably took me 5 minutes just to read the last page just because I was crying. My ds thinks I'm crazy.

[JudoMom]

We hit a chapter ending, and I knew I was going to cry at the next chapter.

 

I told my dh I'd be crying the next chapter (I read aloud in the evenings to everyone), so he got an evil smile and told me to go ahead and read another.

 

Sure enough, I was bawling like a baby and he had to finish reading it.

 

I've gotten choked up a few times, but this was the first time I couldn't read for crying.

[Crissy]

We don't do a lot of reading aloud around here, but when we do, and when it's an emotional book, we all cry.

[PariSarah]

. . . when it's an emotional book, we all cry.

 

Yeah, us here, too.

[unsinkable]

I'm cry often when reading books to the kids. Sometimes I warn them ahead of time that I'll be bawling.

 

unsinkble

[Ellie]

mostly I knew ahead of time how a book would end 'cuz I read all my favorites to me dds so I was not usually caught off guard.

 

When I read The Chestry Oak to dds, I warned them ahead of time that I cried throught the whole book. We'd sit down on the sofa, I with a big ol' cloth napkin, and I'd start reading. Sometimes I warned them that I cried even more in *this* chapter. We managed to get through (we cried together in a few places).

 

Oh, and the worst book of all: Hurry Home, Candy, by Meindert (sp?) DeJong. The last chapter...I just ball like a baby...and it's a HAPPY ending, for goodness' sake!

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Yep. My husband and I joke that we can both cry at Hallmark comercials. Both of us are big saps when it comes to books or movies, but I don't consider us particularly emotional when it comes to other things. Well, I probably am, but he isn't a very emotional person.

 

I hate choking up when I'm reading. It doesn't take much. Many picture books put me over the edge. :) Makes it hard to read out loud.

[Scarlett]

I've cried at least one time through all 5 of the Little House books I've read to ds. I cried A LOT toward the end of Summer of the Monkies. Ds7 thinks I"m crazy too.

[Stephanie in FL]

I do. I break down and will start crying and the kids will get a goofy look on their faces, like here we go again. I now try to plan ahead and have them read the emotional parts so we can just get through the book.

[*anj*]

Yep, and with old favorites, my kids know exactly when I will start to cry.

We did Five In a Row for Kindergarten and whenever I read The Rag Coat I would just lose it. That's a great story!

 

I also cry when I listen to/sing certain songs on the radio.

[umarider]

I am a huge sap, especially for animal stories. So when my 1st gr. class asked me to read "Akiak" I should have known what would happen. I was barely able to finish reading... one boy went and got me a box of tissues. So many concerned little faces! I explained that I love animals very much and admire their dedication and heart and how it was this love that makes me cry.

 

Well, that book became a favorite in our classroom! And I cried everytime I read it! When I had to have a sub. the kids would ask the sub to read "Akiak" just to see if they would cry, too.

 

My sister met the author and told him about her sappy sister who couldn't read the book w/out crying. I now have an autographed copy :D

[Remudamom]

And it was doubly embarrasing because it was a big group of kids. And I bawled like a baby at the ending of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

[momofkhm]

My oldest is 13. She knows when I hand her the book what the problem is. There are times she even says "Mom, I'll finish it." They know.

[Mrs. Readsalot]

He kicked me at the ending and after that we banned all dead animal stories in our house. Seriously we banned them. I also cry at the end of most Patricia Polacco stories. Now here is the funny part for me. I like just about anything that will make me have a good emotional cry. You see I have a rare autoimmune disease, called Sjogrens, and it has nearly eistroyed my tear glands. I have to put drops in my eyes all day long and these still are not as good as real tears. Trust me all be very grateful for something you probably never think about...the fact that your body makes tears all day long. I can still cry but it doesn't happen often. So bring on the best tear jerking movies, books etc that you can think of.

[Rebecca in GA]

I can...not...read...the part in Charlotte's Web where she dies alone without making an idiot out of myself. :(

[Plaid Dad]

What do you mean? ::sniff, sniff:: I never ::sniff:: do that.

[Crystal in VA]

I've always been so embarrassed by the fact that I cry over everything. I learned to get books on tape for the ones that might make me tear up. However, that doesn't work for everything. :)

[stephanie]

I'm the biggest baby when it comes to crying over commercials or books. I just finished reading Stone Fox to my ds. I didn't realize what the ending would be like. It probably took me 5 minutes just to read the last page just because I was crying. My ds thinks I'm crazy.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I always cry when we read Missionary Stories With The Millers and someone dies. I also cried when we just finished reading Frindle aloud! What's up with that? That's not what most people consider an emotional read, but it warmed my heart in the end.

[WTMindy]

I always get choked up at books (commercials, etc...) My kids are just used to it now. The worst time ever was when I was reading about 9-11 in a textbook and I was sobbing and couldn't stop. Usually, I just get verklempt about anything sad, patriotic, sentemental, etc.

[5knights3maidens]

I too, read Stone Fox and could not read the last few pages...my ds cried with me while my dd laughed!

My dd always says, "Mom, I see your chin quivering..give me the book!"

[mcconnellboys]

Yes, LOL, but they'll sure remember *that* story! We're reading through WWII stuff right now, honey, you should see me crying - OY!

 

Regena

[Storm Bay]

Yes, so I try to read ahead so I know what's coming. I started this for my eldest because when she was little she had to be prepared for anything at all negative and know that it would turn out okay before we read it. She's past that now, but the habit has stuck.

[Kate CA]

I'm the biggest baby when it comes to crying over commercials or books. I just finished reading Stone Fox to my ds. I didn't realize what the ending would be like. It probably took me 5 minutes just to read the last page just because I was crying. My ds thinks I'm crazy.

 

Oh, I frequently cry at the ending of books! My children almost expect it if it is emotional and my oldest is always looking at me to see if I am going to. LOL I don't mind and neither do they. I am glad I am touched by the issues of life. :)

 

Warmly,

Kate

[Pam Wilhelm]

Heck! I cry at commercials on tv........... of course I cry when reading to the kids. :p:D

[lovemyboys]

I think I understand some of the emotions more now than when I read those books through as a child....you know, all those complicated parent emotions.

 

So ds here are very sweet and check that I'm ok, and we plow through my tears! Many times they want to know why this would affect me, so I guess they get a window into female emotions (a bit closer to the surface than your typical guy?) which may be good since I'm the only one they've got.:o

[kdeno]

My husband also thinks I am crazy that I cry when I read.

 

K

[Jenny in Atl]

Yup, we cry here a bunch, bks, movies and even a few t.v shows. The Book Thief was the latest where both my daughters and I were left sobbing.

[Amy in NH]

when my ds saw the title of this thread over my shoulder he laughed and said, "You can't even read a history book to us!"

 

:rolleyes: He's right :rolleyes:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh yeah, I do this a lot. But it made me feel better when my dh was reading aloud a short story by Mark Twain called "A Dog's Tale" and he got all choked up. Yes, it really is by Mark Twain and it is sad!

[jeri]

as a read aloud to my kids and could barely say the words! I don't know if they've ever seen me cry so this was really weird to them! What a good book!

 

jeri

[jail warden]

was one of my absolute favorite books growing up, so I HAD to read it to my children out loud. So I started reading it ot them and when I realized the section for the next day would be sad, I read ahead the night before to get the crying out. Yeah, didn't help.:( I cried the night I read ahead, but I still bawled and bawled when Old Dan and then Little Anne died. My kids couldn't believe how much I cried!!!

[Lenora in MD]

We have a book called "Leah's Pony" that I refuse to read anymore because it makes me cry every time no matter how hard I try not to! My kids can always tell when I am about to cry. My 10y will roll his and say "Mommmmmm...."

[Lizzie in Ma]

My darling daughters will now take the book or read from their own copy when I have my break downs. I can't read or watch anything without crying and some things I can't even type about without tears! Picture Sam and Frodo, "here, at the end of all things" Now visualize the tears pouring into my coffee cup.;)

[Begonia]

Black Beauty. Oh my goodness, I remember nagging my mom into reading me this book when I was 8 or 9. I couldn't understand why she would keep crying throughout the readings. I found out shortly after she finished that she had skipped over all the emotionally tough parts (none of the horses died or where mistreated, they just sort of magically disappeared from the text-- poof!). I felt cheated that I'd missed part of the story, so I made her read the whole darn book again. This time we BOTH bawled. I'll NEVER read this book aloud to my kids. ;)

[PrairieAir]

Where the Red Fern Grows was one of my favorite books as a child. I refuse to read it to my kids because I can't even think about the book without tearing up. (Crap! Here it comes. Where's the Kleenex?)

 

I have gotten choked up reading every one of the Little House books (several times for some). I have cried while reading Tuck Everlasting, Summer of the Monkeys, The Higher Power of Lucky, Because of Winn Dixie, All the Places to Love (a happy picture book for goodness sake!) and countless others. The list is just too long to remember them all. I can't remember what selections they were, but there were several times I got choked up while reading to my Poetry and Literature co-op classes. That was embarrassing. I had to pretend I was losing my voice and needed a swig from my water bottle.

 

Like WTMindy said, I get all emotional over anything sad, sentimental, or patriotic. I have cried at countless Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies and even at the national anthem and patriotic speeches for events which have nothing to do with remembering fallen soldiers. Shoot! I think one of the selections I had trouble reading to my American Literature class was The Declaration of Independence!

 

The worst of all this is that dh and the kids laugh and make fun of me for it. Recently, dh was home on a school day. He was walking through the living room as I was reading to dd from On the Banks of Plum Creek. We had gotten to the part where Jack (the dog) was old and too tired to travel west running under the wagon. I knew Jack was going to die and I started to get choked up. This signalled dh to what was about to happen and he stopped on the stairway landing just to watch. I stopped reading and he just kept urging me to go on. He gets such a kick out of it, the butthead! :o Well, by the end of that part, dd and I were both bawling and dh walked into his office what seemed to me rather abruptly. Yeah, I happen to know he cried during Old Yeller and that he still can't handle watching that movie:p

[WTMindy]

 

Like WTMindy said, I get all emotional over anything sad, sentimental, or patriotic. I have cried at countless Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies and even at the national anthem and patriotic speeches for events which have nothing to do with remembering fallen soldiers. Shoot! I think one of the selections I had trouble reading to my American Literature class was The Declaration of Independence!

 

You should have seen me on our trip to Washington DC. I cried my way through the whole trip. I cried when I went to the National Archives, I cried at the flag they displayed in the Smithsonian, I cried......on and on it goes.

[Antonia]

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