I came across, by sheer accident, a copy of Little Men in the nicely-bound series I collect, which I wrote about some time ago. I had wondered, when I finished Little Women, if the sequel had been published in this series. But then I got to thinking, that Miss Alcott had done such a superb job writing about girls, that I doubted whether she could really understand boys well enough to do as well by them. But just a few pages in, my fears are well laid to rest, and I'm hooked. Father Bhaer's boisterous but firm hoisehold perfectly exemplifies the best environment for raising healthy boys.
And as I read, I've been thinking about Jo, and how it takes a rare and special kind of woman to be good with boys. Most women teachers lack that quality, and so many boys suffer because they're being forced into a mold that doesn't fit them.
But I'm thinking about my daughter, and how she's got the perfect temperament for it. And about another lady I know, who has raised seven boys (and one girl) with extraordinary success, and what a remarkable woman that makes her.
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