I thought it was so refreshing to read a book where a child loves and absolutely adores his father. I have read so many lately of broken and dysfunctional relationships between parent and offspring that this was a breath of fresh air! I think it says so much about their relationship and his father as a parent when Ralph said, "I always loved him more after he chastised me." How many children honestly can say that?
Ralph's father reminded me so much of my Grandpa Brown (Amanda, my cousin, thought the exact same thing) in that he didn't say much, but when he did speak, you payed attention, and it was always just the right thing to say at that moment. It made me long for the good old days where hard work, and ingenuity and common sense were highly valued. It made me miss my Grandpa and helped me to see him for the true gem that he was. He never called attention to himself, so sometimes it's easy to overlook some of the wonderful things he did. But just like Ralph's dad, he just always went about attending to what needed to be attended to with a quiet dignity and leading by example.
I loved "watching" the ranch come together piece by piece as I read and I especially loved his father's teaching moments throughout the book. So my question is to you, what was your favorite teaching moment he had with his father? I think mine was when his father taught him that it didn't matter what a persons skin color was, but that the only thing to be worried about with other men is whether they were honest or dishonest. It seems so scarce to see such honesty in this day.
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My favorite teaching moment was when Ralph got caught with the candy bar, and his father told him that if he wanted to be partners, he didn't want him being sneaky. I loved the pride that Ralph showed every time his father called him partner after that. I think that that is how all boys hope their relationship can be with their dads, (okay, at least boys who have a dad they respect). I hope that I can be the kind of mom that my kids can respect and love me that way as well.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the moment when Ralph said the family prayer, and said that that was when he became a man. How poignant that that moment was when he took the place of the person that he looked to for how to be one.
I felt the same way as Shayla. I thought the lesson Charlie taught about honesty was great. He really did have a way of phrasing something memorable and powerful in such few words. I also enjoyed reading about a son who adored his father so much and a father that was deserving of the adoration.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to read about how hard every person in the family worked just to get by and help the ranch run. We are not nearly so self-sufficient anymore and I wish I had some of the skills to just get a home up and running and survive on the land without cash and just going to the grocery store or Target for everything we need.
The honesty lesson was my favorite too. At first when I read it I thought it sounded a little harsh that people could only fall into 2 categories. I thought, well surely there is some middle ground, and maybe there would be another characteristic more important to judge people by... but the more I thought about it I came to completely agree with his simple but wise summation.
ReplyDeleteI recently had an experience at work that tested the integrity of myself and those around me. The experience totally changed how I looked at the people involved. I will never deal the same way that I had previously with those that compromised their integrity, even slightly. It was another reminder to me that nothing, nothing, nothing is worth your integrity, and any sacrifice that has to be made to keep it is worth it. At the end of the day if you still have your integrity in your pocket you can be at peace with yourself and meet others eye to eye with confidence. What else could be more valuable?
I couldn't find the book so I didn't read it. Does anyone have a copy that I could borrow?
ReplyDeleteI loved the quote, "Make sure you give the man that's paying you a good day's work." Maybe if that happened everywhere, a lot more of the problems with our economy would be eliminated.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this book so much more than I thought I would! You should see the pages of my book. Seriously. Blue highlighter everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI remember at Core Academy last year (a summer workshop for teachers) how we talked that kids don't learn a lot of common sense or basic science concepts because they don't have the hands-on experience of seeing things from their raw materials as they did historically. How many children actually see how a piece of clothing comes into being anymore, or scarily their evening meal! So, I loved seeing all the things his father knew how to do, what he could do and be responsible for at such a young age, and the lessons that were taught through concrete experiences. Very cool.
The boy's father reminded me of Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird. So wise. I love the dynamic between the Mom and Dad, too!
As far as a quote goes, I totally agree with everything written so far. I'll add the one when he goes to "fess-up" about the pheasant: That night when we were milking, he told me it had been a day I should remember. He said it would be good for me, as I grew older, to know that a man always made his troubles less by going to meet them instead of waiting for them to catch up with him, or trying to run away from them.
In talking about the honesty thing, I loved how through the rest of the book it showed how the boy was tempted to act certain ways, but always remembered his father's lesson on being that honest partner. I hope I can have that impact on my future children, and on my students as well.
Thanks for the good read. Great recommendation!