From a Dad

Question:

As a 47 year old man, I’m guessing that I’m not the target market for the Alice series, but I stumbled upon them about 10 years ago when I briefly taught 4th grade.  My daughter, who was a first grader (and early reader) at the time, immediately fell in love with Alice.  We have read the books together over the years and they have given us many interesting topics to talk about, many of which we might not have otherwise.  Alice has been a genuine positive role-model for years.  My daughter is now entering her junior year of high school, so she will coincidentally be going off to college at exactly the same time Alice does.  I have a little tear in my eye now, as I think about how they grew up together, and how our annual ritual will soon be coming to an end.I have been teaching high school, mostly seniors, for the past several years.  In Incredibly Alice,  I think you perfectly captured the uncertainty and sadness that accompanies the excitement of senior year, including the anxiety surrounding college acceptances.  So, as I help my daughter deal with this in real life, I also look forward to the final installment. 

Phyllis replied:

I loved your letter, and think readers will love it too.  It’s comforting in a way to know that parents share the same sadness, uncertainty, and yes, excitement, when a child leaves for college.  But once our children leave home, we don’t know when they are happy, depressed, scared, embarrassed….  Not that we always knew when they lived with us, but at least we were under the same roof.  Because of your close relationship with your daughter, my guess is that this will give her much of the stability and self esteem she’ll need to navigate through college. And she’ll always know you’re there for her.  Thanks so much for writing.