parenting | Humanist Heritage Canada

As reported by the National Post, Canadian children’s author Robert Munsch has stated that he must “pick the moment when I can still ask for it,” and worries that if he loses capacity before then, his family will be left to make one of the most difficult decisions that any person or family can make…whether Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) the appropriate choice for Robert Munsch.

Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and eventually studies for 7 years to be a Jesuit priest while working part-time at an orphanage and then spend ten year working in daycare. Munsch became a Canadian citizen in in the 1970s and became a member of the Order of Canada in 1999.

One of his books, Giant; or Waiting for the Thursday Boat (1989), was banned in some places as offensive to religion, e.g., a character threatens to “pound God into applesauce.” Because of its depiction of God as a little girl, and threats toward God, it was challenged/removed from some school libraries in Ontario. In Middlesex County, the book was removed or restricted (for example from primary grades, or not read aloud by teachers) because of its religious content; In Welland (Niagara Region), similar challenges occurred.

Munsch is a Unitarian who attended the Unitarian Fellowship in Guelph “until the routine petered out when the kids got restless.” (Citation below.) Munsch and his wife have three adopted children. According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation,

Munsch became Canada¹s best selling author, but was not selling much in the USA. Then LOVE YOU FOREVER came out as a Canadian book in 1986. It sold 30,000 in 1986 and was the bestselling kid’s book in Canada that year, 70,000 in 1987 and was the bestselling Canadian kids book that year too. It sold 1,000,000 in 1988 . It was the bestselling Canadian kid’s book that year too. The strange thing was that it was also the bestselling kid’s book in the USA, only nobody knew it. It never occurred to Munsch that it could be an invisible bestseller.

On the official Munsch website, a candid advisory to parents says, “I am a storyteller. I write books for kids, I talk to kids, and I listen to kids. But that is not all that I am. Several years ago I was diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive and manic-depressive. Those challenges have led me to make some big mistakes. I have worked hard to overcome my problems, and I have done my best. I have attended twelve-step recovery meetings for more than 25 years. My mental health and addiction problems are not a secret to my friends and family. They have been a big support to me over the years, and I would not have been able to do this without their love and understanding. I hope that others will also understand. I hope that everyone will talk to their kids honestly, listen to them, and help them do their best with their own challenges.“

And that seems like some pretty reasonable perspective at any stage of life, doesn’t it?

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Tag Archives: parenting

Robert Munsch and MAiD

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Citations, References And Other Reading