Late night conversation amongst 80's babies, inspired coincidentally by some chilled merlot, led me to recall some Reagan-era good ol' free-government bullsh*t from around the second grade. This one doesn't even need commentary. In my opinion, I Wish Daddy Didn't Drink So Much is the magnum opus of Judith Vigna, the Joyce Carol Oates of deeply-traumatized child/ dysfunctional-family literature, and the author of (I'm not shitting you): My Big Sister Takes Drugs, My Two Uncles, Mommy and Me By Ourselves Again, She's Not My Real Mother, and Nobody Wants a Nuclear War. I Wish Daddy Didn't Drink So Much is the heartwarming tale of a young girl given a sled by a VERY merry Santa, and how her daddy won't enjoy it with her until he can get to the store to pick up another 12-pack of Steel Reserve/Thunderbird. He has to walk, though, because mommy hid his car keys.
I get that books like these are written to supposedly ease the pain of kids already going through this kind of nightmare ("You're not alone!"). But do these kids really want to read books about some other kid's drunk father? What's next, Judith Vigna, I Wish Daddy Would Stop Visiting Me at Night or Who Are All these Men Sleeping With Mommy? Wouldn't it be better if those kids just read books about happy unicorns carrying princesses away from evil trolls on their way to gumdrop castles and chocolate syrup lakes? You know, something out of Super Mario World (Super NES- Level 6 Chocolate World). Children in the inner city have a multitude of issues but I never felt any of the book released by Miss Vigna were ever truly applicable.
I have always eagerly anticipated the release of "Why was my daddy a victim of the NY Rockefeller Drug Laws and, even though the laws are being amended now, what good does that do to rescind the memories of an adolescent childhood spent taking 9 hour bus rides to speak to my father through plexiglass and hearing that i was the man of the house and to take care of my older sister and grandmother", maybe that book is in press as I type this...hmmm...
"I was born not to make it but I did, tribulations of a ghetto kid, still I rise"
~2pac
www.nelsoncaban.blogspot.com
1 comment:
hhhmmm... interesting... I don't think that the kids that read books like these are thinking "Oh, some other kid's drunken father." As kids or teenagers we constantly blame ourselves for the faults, failures, and tragedies of our families. Kids frequently say, "I'm the reason Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce." I think, these books really are meant to help kids feel less responsible. It’s a way of saying; “so, it’s not just me” “YOU'RE NOT ALONE!” as you mentioned.
....hmmm... This is the most emotion I’ve ever seen you show... (jk)
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