…why I now love Cat in the Hat

My almost 5year old has started a loving obsession of Dr. Suess. It all started when we saw a play version on Netflix. Now the first movie Franklin ever, ever loved was The Grinch that Stole Christmas (we saw it everyday for almost a year) so it makes sense that my “more mature” child now likes Cat in the Hat.

It was sort of a perfect storm of events though.

I had just done a play version of Charlie Brown Christmas (live) at my church, Franklin learned he loved plays, the play version of Cat in the Hat appeared. He then decided to act it out via paper props (which he made new ones every day complete with a skinny belt as a tail and at least 3 paper striped hats). Our house was full of crafty scraps for literally a month! He would spread out to make all his props–appropriately referencing the book of course (that’s our librarian’s child). Double, Plus Dr. Suess’s birthday was upcoming, and he re-found his book version of Cat in the Hat.

I have never been too big on Cat in the Hat. I’m more on the anxiety end of life (my family and I have a theory that you react to stress either with depression or anxiety–if your really luck you get both). Like I said, anxiety end–so when the cat appeared in the house, it worried me. And the character of the fish totally voiced all of my worries….which didn’t help..

However, Franklin, and the actor in Cat in the Hat, made me realize that the Cat in the Hat is just a mischevious child. It isn’t that he “isn’t listening” its that “he isn’t able to listen because he is having so much fun” and to me that is the essence of child.

My grandmother was a little more concerned with propriety than my parents (heck the whole world is probably more concerned with propriety than me and my family). But, she love, love, Loved Kids–so if you told her that a child “just couldn’t resist……” she could be So forgiving.

My parents were out of town when our whole front lawn had to be redone due to some town plumbing issue (YAY for free new plumbing and free new front yard). After they dug everything up and before they planted the new yard, it rained…so naturally my brother and I ages 10 and 8year old had a glorious mud fight 🙂

(not my bro or me)

My grandmother thought it was messy and gross…but we were like the Cat in the Hat, we couldn’t resist (besides I knew they would be replanting it anyway, but you know it was still mess and gross)….That and a snowball fight I started in 7th grade all contributed to my own Cat in the Hat moments. And you know what? They were great.

Yay Cat in the Hat!!

Here’s the Play-Movie if you want to start an obsession in your household

(by the by currently he’s starting in on Horten Hears a Who which does not have such a great version…but the story is awesome can’t beat  “A Person’s a Person, no matter how small!!!)

Author: katyandtheword

Pastor Katy has enjoyed ministry at New Covenant since 2010, where the church has solidified its community focus. She now works at Capital CFO plus as the Non Profit Director. All opinions expressed on this blog are her own and do not reflect those of Capital CFO plus. Prior to that she studied both Theology and Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also served as an Assistant Chaplain at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and as the Christian Educational Coordinator at Bethany Presbyterian at Bloomfield, NJ. She is an writer and is published in Enfleshed, Sermonsuite, Presbyterian's today and Outlook. She writes prayers, liturgy, poems and public theology and is pursuing her doctorate in ministry in Creative Write and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She enjoys working within and connecting to the community, is known to laugh a lot during service, and tells as many stories as possible. Pastor Katy loves reading Science Fiction and Fantasy, theater, arts and crafts, music, playing with children and sunshine, and continues to try to be as (w)holistically Christian as possible. "Publisher after publisher turned down A Wrinkle in Time," L'Engle wrote, "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was too difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adult's book, anyhow?" The next year it won the prestigious John Newbery Medal. Tolkien states in the foreword to The Lord of the Rings that he disliked allegories and that the story was not one.[66] Instead he preferred what he termed "applicability", the freedom of the reader to interpret the work in the light of his or her own life and times. View all posts by katyandtheword