10. Lessons Learned

Lessons I learned from my mother (and look, the characters learned them too!)

1. You can't always get what you want.
Characters from so many of our novels this semester had to realize this in one way or another. Hannah had to realize that despite the fact that she had so badly wanted to have Louise, she couldn't.

2. Don't be too scared to go on a big adventure. You'll regret it if you don't.
Katherine from The South definitely valued this one in a big way, but Wayne from Annabel learned this lesson too, figuring out that he could go on an adventure to find his place in the world.

3. Just because you've gotten in the habit of doing something doesn't mean you have to keep doing it forever. Sometimes change is important.
I love this one, and I think Wayne would appreciate it too. Just because you've always been a certain person, or acted in a certain way, or had a certain person in your life, doesn't mean there's any reason not to break free if you want to start over and be the person you know you're really meant to be.

4. Look for friends in people with the same interests as you (but don't disregard those people that are really different from you either, there are lots of experiences to be gained there).

5. Every child is parented "differently," but that doesn't necessarily mean one is parented better than the other.
I think this really comes through in Beloved, although I don't think Denver would necessarily agree that no one is necessarily parented better than the other in her family. However, I think Denver and Beloved are an interesting case of children being parented differently.

6. Family needs to watch out for each other.
Harriet demonstrates this to all her children in Lessing's The Fifth Child. Obviously in that case it's a little arguable whether or not that was what was best for them, and in the end, I think another non-biological family ends up watching out for Ben in a perhaps better way, but lesson still learned.

7. If you get in a fight with your siblings, "work it out yourselves." Also, don't forget you'll love them one day.
Denver and Beloved had to learn how to get along together, as did (in some ways) all of Ben's siblings with him.

8. We're a really lucky family--but it's not just luck. Hard work is important.
The same can be said for many of the families we've read about this semester (but also, unfortunately, not all of them were quite so lucky as mine).

9. Sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy, even if no one else agrees with you.
I think that's true for many of the mothers we've read about this semester. Katherine is the first that comes to mind, but certainly this also applies to many other mothers and characters from these novels.

10. Don't give up.




Thanks, Mom. Happy Belated Mother's Day <3