Last Friday Jan Berenstain passed way at the age of 88. Yes, Jan was half of the dynamic duo who created the Berenstain Bear childrens' book series. Her husband Stan passed away in 2005
To this day, I can almost recall every story and word for word of the adventures of Brother Bear, Sister Bear and all of the lessons they learned. It was a tradition I passed on to my three boys with absolute delight and enthusiasm. It is possible that even as an adult, I enjoyed these timeless classics more than my children did. And I still recall being in the book aisle of various toy stores and buying whichever new books in the series we didn't have. And of course, that meant a continuation of that nightly tradition of lying in bed and reading my children a story before bedtime. It was always one of my favourite privileges when being a parent.
As best as I can recall, the Berenstain Bears was the first book that I remember being read to me before bedtime. I hung on every word and every turning of the page. And I always had a million questions before I would allow the page to be turned. Brother Bear always seemed to get himself entangled in quite the predicaments that always seemed to turn out okay only after he followed the advice of his mother or father. Sister Bear always seemed to be shy of trying new things but always gave it her all with a little push from her mother and father. From playground etiquette to making the sports team, to making new friends, to going to the dentist, or failing to keep a tidy room, the junior bears always had a difficult yet exciting day. And theirs stories made my nights. When they felt afraid, I did too. When they were worried about being punished for wrong doing, I was worried too. When they were embarrassed, so was I. And I shared their triumphs and all of the ups and downs of growing up. And always, and no matter what the circumstances, they felt safe and secure in a home that had love and understanding. And I found that comforting.
The Berenstain Bears was more than just a childrens' story. Those books were the catalyst that instilled a love of reading and writing that remained even throughout my teenage years. Through every story I learned to dream, to believe in the good, and I felt that wondrous joy of getting lost in imagination. It was my time of innocence and they were such times I will always remember. Of course there was Clifford the big red dog, Franklin the turtle, and then comic books with all my super heroes, then video games, then girls, and then the life of an adult. But it all started with the Berenstain Bears. And what a thrill it was to introduce my children to this wonderful world that I lived in for many years. I often wonder if there will come the day when they will read to their children the adventures of this bear family? I hope they do and I hope they feel the same way as I did when I read to them.
This world we live in is a busy place and eventually, I lost my love of reading and writing. And I no longer have any children to read to. But these past few years have found this man once again, reading, writing and even imagining a dream or two. I wonder what it feels like to write something so memorable that children grow into adults never forgetting the stories read as a child? I wonder if Jan and Stan were capable of understanding just how many people they influenced for so many decades? And could anyone really comprehend the true accomplishment of touching tens of millions of people in such a positive and memorable way? With my simple poetry and musing about life, I will probably never know that feeling of affecting just one person in such a way as they never forget. But I can dream about it and I can imagine it. And I learned how to do both when I was read a story about a bear family who lived in a tree house.
"Once I spent my time playing tough guy scenes. I was living in a world of childish dreams. But someday these childish dreams must end. To become a man and grow up to dream again."
~ Bruce Springsteen
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