“Go the f*** to sleep” un-amusing to Oregon attorney
Jul 2, 2011, 1:01 PM | Updated: 10:27 pm
By Michael Simeona
The cats nestle close to their kittens now.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You’re cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
Please go the f**k to sleep
Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t have a problem with profanity, and neither does Adam Mansbach, author of the New York Times best-seller Go the f*** to sleep.
It looks like your everyday children’s book on the outside, but the inside is filled with expletive-laced verses intended solely for the amusement of parents. Mansbach’s book examines the tribulations of parenting, and how putting your children to sleep can be a chore in itself.
While the book is supposed to provide a semblance of humor with regards to the many difficulties of parenting, some believe the book doesn’t provide a good example for children to follow.
“I realized [the book] didn’t sit well with me,” said Joan Demarest, an attorney from Corvallis, OR. “I grew up with a lot of profanity in the household. I was dropping the f-bombs at age three and it wasn’t until I became a parent myself I decided that I really wanted to not raise my children that way.”
Demarest knows what it’s like be involved in child abuse, considering she was the lead attorney in one of the most high-profile child murder cases in Oregon state history.
Over four years ago, Demarest prosecuted a man who had beat his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter to death. While the man didn’t receive the death penalty, he was sentenced to life in prison and isn’t eligible for parole until his 80’s.
When asked whether her opinion of Mansbach’s book was influenced by the case, Demarest recognized that the demeaning language associated with the book doesn’t reflect her values as a parent.
“For some people, violent language connects to violent acts, and it just didn’t feel right to me,” Demarest told the Ron and Don show. “I don’t want that language in my head when I’m dealing with that frustration because it puts me even closer to the edge.”
Though Demarest won’t be reading the book to her children anytime soon, she has no problem with people who decide to buy it.
“I’m not saying people shouldn’t go out and get the book for their friends. I’m saying for me, it doesn’t feel good to have that kind of language in association with children.”
