Since it was published in 1986, the children's book "Love You Forever" has sold many millions of copies and become a treasured item in many families.
Written by Robert Munsch, the story illustrates the relationship between a mother and son as they both age. The mother sings a lullaby to her son as a baby and each subsequent stage of his life, but some of those stages are a little strange, writes Marlene Kern Fischer, a New York mother, blogger and author who posted on Facebook about "Love You Forever."
"When her son grows up, the mother drives across town and sneaks into his house when it’s dark to sing to him and rock him," she wrote in the post, which has since caused a stir. "Does no one else find this incredibly unsettling?"
Comments on the post are divided between the "love it" and "hate it" crowds, with many defending the 38-year-old book as a touching story about the circle of life and the love between a parent and child.
USA TODAY talked with Fischer this week about the controversy, how she cried the first time she read it and what she thinks about the hubbub her post caused.
Unpopular opinion: 'I hate the book'
Fischer acknowledges the emotional weight of "Love You Forever."
"Anyone who doesn't cry when reading this book has a heart of stone," Fischer told USA TODAY Monday.
But "somehow, I feel that my emotions are being played upon," she wrote in the Facebook post. "Here I was a brand-new mom seeing my entire life with my son flash before my eyes."
But that wasn't Fischer's only complaint. Though the book's first pages are sweet, things get weird when the little boy becomes a teenager and the mother continues to go into her son's room, and rock him while singing the lullaby, Fischer said.
"Okay, when my boys were teens, if they had caught me rocking them, they would have gone ballistic and probably screamed, 'WTF?' before putting a lock on their door," she said on Facebook. But then the book gets "even stranger," she said.
"When her son grows up, the mother drives across town and sneaks into his house when it’s dark to sing to him and rock him. Does he not have a significant other?" Fischer vented on Facebook. "Or has the mother ruined any chance of him finding a partner by her bizarre behavior."
Fischer stressed that she may be overthinking what is meant to be a book about "a parent's love and enduring traditions."
"However, it just never made sense to me," she wrote. "I hate the book."
Commenters explain deep feelings about 'Love You Forever'
Commenters on Fischer's post had plenty to say, with one woman saying that at 50, she still lays her head on her dad's chest to listen to his heartbeat.
"If either one of them asked to rock me, I would absolutely let them do it," she wrote. "All of my friends are losing parents and children (to death, college, etc.) and those connections mean more to me than ever before."
Another wrote that whenever her dad took her and her sister to the bookstore, she would always look for "Love You Forever" and re-read it.
"I believe it helped shape me into the empathetic adult I am today," she commented. "Even at a young age, I remember grasping the symbolism, not taking it too literally, but understanding the deep love that is felt there."
Another joked that "no one gets upset about Goldie Locks breaking and entering, stealing porridge and sleeping in random bears’ beds!"
"Clearly children's books are not meant to be taken SO literally," she wrote. "This boy reminds me so much of my sons and it’s so special tome."
Other users also admit to disliking 'Love You Forever'
Many others agreed with Fischer.
"I always assumed the son having no one next to him when the mom creeps in was likely because of the mother's strange attachment," one woman commented.
Another wrote that they were relieved to learn they weren't the only one who dislikes the book.
"That mom is creating a mama's boy for life, which is toxic to his eventual romantic relationships," they wrote. "That fictional mother needs to learn a lesson in boundaries! And so does that grown adult son!"
How Robert Munsch came up with 'Love You Forever'
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation when "Love You Forever" became the No. 1 children's book on the New York Times, Munsch explained that the lullaby from the book was one that he and his wife came up with to comfort themselves after having two stillborn children.
"I get more letters on this than all my other stories combined and some of them get very heavy," he says in the interview before reading a letter from parents who had lost their daughter and buried his book with her.
"People who have grief experiences in their families find it a very nice book, although the people who just like to rock their kids to bed at night find it a very nice book, too," he said. "People use it whenever they want to express how they feel about family issues. It seems to help people do that."
USA TODAY has reached out to Munsch about some of the debate over his book.
Fischer noted that she respects the fact that Munsch wrote the story for his two stillborn children, and she understands that loss personally, "which is truly tragic," she wrote. "I can understand his motivation."
How is Fischer responding to all the hubbub?
Fischer's post is continuing to gather attention, something she seems to be taking in stride.
"Other than politics this has been one of my most polarizing posts," she told USA TODAY. "Everyone and their cousin has a VERY strong opinion about this book. You either love it or hate it.
"I actually received hate comments from readers who were opposed to my opinion, which honestly was meant to be a light tongue-in-cheek piece," she continued. "On the other hand, a lot of people who disliked the book felt validated by my words."
Fischer is the author of "I Was Hoping to Age Like a Fine Wine But I'm Feeling More Like an Avocado," a collection of personal stories about aging, parenting and other life events that came out Tuesday. It's available for purchase online.
You can also follow her blog, called Thoughts From Aisle 4.
