On Mothering, by J.M. Barrie

Todd has been reading Peter Pan to our children, the complete unabridged version. When I hear him reading, I love to peek around the corner and see our three little ones, hanging on his every word.   What a wonderful sight.

So far, this is my favorite quote.  Mrs. Darling has a way with her children, which so far, I admire.  I'd like to adopt a few of her ways myself.

"Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter when she was tidying up her children's minds. It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day. If you could keep awake (but of course you can't) you would see your own mother doing this, and you would find it very interesting to watch her. It is quite like tidying up drawers. You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on earth you had picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet, pressing this to her cheek as if it were as nice as a kitten, and hurriedly stowing that out of sight. When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out your prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on."

~Excerpt from Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie