Dr. Seuss very likely had sex
More than once...
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WARNING: This article will discuss many topics that may be difficult to read, including; mental health, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and suicide. If you are struggling with any of these challenges, proceed with caution. There are many resources available to you, please reach out for help if you need it.
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Those of you who have read previous substack posts of mine may be aware that I work professionally with children and adolescents as a mental health therapist. You may also be aware that I have had my own personal struggles with mental health and that I believe my mother had been misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression, rather than Bipolar Type I, in her youth. I personally believe, that many mental health therapists have either struggled with their own mental health challenges, or have witnessed a friend or loved-one who has done so. I also believe, due to my personal anecdotal evidence, that other professionals, such as Speech Language Pathologists, or Physiotherapists, have had similar experiences. In my opinion, when a human being is witness to suffering, of any kind, they have a significant motivation to help others who are experiencing similar suffering. This is not a problem or a criticism, rather a strength.
What the hell does this have to do with Dr. Seuss having sex?
I understand this seems like a bit of a “clickbaity” title, but bear with me.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, AKA “Dr. Seuss”, never had his own biological children. He did support his second wife (Audrey Stone Diamond) as a step-father to her two daughters and created an imaginary child with his first wife (Helen Palmer Geisel) prior to her death (8). It is rumoured, that he had been having an affair with Audrey Stone Dimond prior to his first wife’s death. His first wife, Helen, could not have children due to health related concerns and eventually died by suicide (8). I am proposing, that all of these life experiences are not only interesting, when considering him as a respected children’s author, but critical components of what made his work so great.
The simple fact that Dr. Seuss, was married twice. That he was believed to be having an affair prior to his first wife’s death. That he experienced the trauma of a loved one dying by suicide. And that he would have had “marital relations” with both of those partners, should give you some indication that he was not the asexual, one dimensional character that you likely have concocted in your mind from the time you first encountered his children’s books. His unusual relationship with his first wife and their “imaginary child” might seem bizarre, but also may be an indication of his strong desire to be a parent and his compassion for his wife who likely had many emotional struggles related to their inability to have children as a couple.
I could spend days here constructing arguments that “Too many Dave’s” was a thinly veiled criticism of negligent parenting, or that “One fish, Two fish” was a commentary on colonialism. I could spend the next hour discussing the inappropriate racial stereotypes in his currently blacklisted books. I don’t think any of that is necessary. Are there inappropriate characterizations in his books, certainly. Were they known to be inappropriate at the time, no. Is it reasonable for the copyright owners to restrict such material with our current awareness of it’s possible harms? I think so. Did he also write some very deeply meaningful and valuable social commentary in stories such as “The Sneeches” and “The Lorax”? (13) That is a resounding YES!
“Dr. Seuss is adored by millions around the world for the positive values in many of his works, including environmentalism and tolerance” (12) - Mark Pratt (AP News)
Children’s book writers, artists, comic creators, animators, anime and manga creators etc. are just normal human beings, who live normal lives and have normal relationships.
Shocking idea, I know! I have found many youth that I work with, have a conceptualization that the media they enjoy is created by people who are very much like them. They think that children’s content is typically created by other children. They find it strange to imagine that adults may be employed to create the media that they consume. I both blame and applaud applications and communities such as Roblox for this.
Theodore Giesel obviously cared about the welfare of children. He attempted in many of his works to educate children about human values of kindness, acceptance, fairness and compassion. he even thought intently about the subject of adoption.
“As Dr. Seuss, he also wrote two stories dealing with the subject of adoption … a 1938 short story called “Matilda, the Elephant with a Mother Complex,” and 1940’s Horton Hatches the Egg, featuring the elephant who would be the central character in 1954’s Horton Hears a Who! “(8).
As a creator, I have been conflicted about my online presence. I have often felt the pressure to present a persona that is very much whitewashed and inauthentic. I have felt that I am expected to be some ultra-chaste, inhuman, angelic being. In order to exist as an adult and create content that is meant for children, I cannot be a real, three dimensional person. The truth is that I, along with most other creators, am a complex and fallible human. I have a drive to create content for children specifically because of the many difficulties that I faced as a child. I was molded by my childhood experiences and my passions are a result of a longing for something better. My greatest aspiration is that I can help even one child to persevere in the face of trauma. That what I offer, my creative work, can help a single child to overcome the neglect or abuse of adults in their lives and grow up to be a happy and functional adult. I believe that most adults who create content for children have had some similar challenges in their lives.
I my creative life, that means writing stories that are both captivating and, hopefully, an opportunity to reflect and learn from someone who has been there. Children can learn to deal with difficult subjects, if they are presented in a thoughtful and caring way. I think an amazing example of this currently is the animated television show Bluey (11).
It is clearly made for children, it most definitely resonates with them and their parents and it tackles very challenging emotional situations that pure “entertainment” would shy away from. Bluey is a perfect example, in my opinion, of children’s programming that is created by caring adults and serves a purpose of teaching and supporting kids to overcome emotionally challenging events.
So, in summary, neither myself, Dr. Suess, nor the creators of Bluey are pure, unsullied angelic beings. We all have lived lives filled with challenges, difficulties, potential traumas, passion, craving and likely some very inappropriate choices. We all may have made some bad decisions and hopefully learned from our mistakes. I truly think that this is also something that is very much undervalued in society today, the wisdom of those who have fucked up and learned from it.
Hope you all can remain open to the possibility that everyone has something of worth to share. I also hope that you realize you have the ultimate responsibility to determine what is of value to you or not. Turn off your devices (a topic for another post) and take a moment to reflect on the material you encounter. Is it clearly just meant to be a distraction, or is it an effort, by a caring but imperfect adult, to help young people who may not have a lot of support in their lives?
See you next time,
blackManic
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-dr-seuss
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dr-Seuss
https://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/news/2012/04/04_geisel.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-26-mn-3873-story.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20111113160833/http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/geisel-theodor-seuss-dr-seuss
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chrysanthemum-pearl-was-child-dr-seuss-never-had-180962291/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Palmer_(writer)
Illustrator who worked with Dr. Seuss and his wife after his death - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._D._Eastman
https://www.toolify.ai/ai-news/bluey-tackling-serious-issues-in-the-top-20-moments-36534
https://apnews.com/article/dr-seuss-books-racist-images-d8ed18335c03319d72f443594c174513
https://bestofnj.com/features/entertainment/hidden-meanings-dr-seusss-classic-books/