The controversy surrounding the book “Love You Forever” explained

There is disagreement on the Internet about whether the children’s book love you forever is the perfect bedtime reading for mothers of young boys or the start of many conversations with a licensed therapist.

The book, written by Robert Munsch in 1986, is similar to many conversations on X (formerly Twitter). In the story, a mother sings her son a lullaby to sleep, saying, “I will love you forever, I will always like you, as long as I live you will be my baby.” Adorable, right? Well, many moms on social media see it differently.

So why doesn’t everyone love love you forever? You should know this.

The newest love you forever The debate began on July 16, 2024. On X, a user, @tedoffthegrid, posted a photo of her crying and holding the book, which features a boy smiling and standing next to a toilet, playing with toilet paper.

“I tried to read this to my kids at the bookstore and had to leave the whole store because I was crying so much,” Teddy posted.

After seeing the photo, another X user, author Amber Sparks @ambernoelle, reposted Teddy’s picture and strongly criticized the book, saying it contributes to perpetuating unhealthy relationships between mothers and their sons.

“Oh my god I hate this book so much, it’s the scariest proto boy mom book ever,” the user explained in a now-deleted post.

Amber was not alone in her dislike of love you forever. Many users admitted that they always found the book “weird and creepy,” especially the part where the mother in the story uses a ladder to climb up to her adult son’s window and lull him to sleep with the lullaby.

Despite the hate, the book remains a popular choice for parents of young children.