I finished reading this a few weeks ago, and finally got my thoughts down on paper.

I read the book, hungry for ideas to help my kids be more responsible, wistful at the relationship Jody has with his dad. Yes, Jody grows up. And when he did, I cried. A boy and a yearling ran together under the trees and were gone forever.

My kids WILL grow and become responsible adults. This is an iffy thing in our culture! I think this is why I feel so urgent about them being responsible. It is good for them to gain more and more responsibility, but the lesson that I needed to learn from this book is: childhood is precious. When they grow up, it will be gone and over. ENJOY IT!

The Forresters worked hard but were not 'grown up' in the way I want my children to be. And I think the ingredients missing were love and teaching. Grandma Hutto and Ory both fed, loved, taught, but Grandma Hutto did so in a way that 'made life a feast'. She was generous with the love, low on the advice. I liked her character least of all. Jealous? Probably!