WHAT IS READABEAR?

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Readabear is part homage to my mother, and part challenge to myself. My mother died in 2017. She was the most caring, considerate, and creative person that I have ever met. She was also a person who always encouraged me to try things. Her name was Rita, and she loved bears. I have struggled through a lot of trauma since her death and have often let it get the best of me. Readabear is a challenge to myself to put myself out there, and try using the skills I’m always too afraid to show.

I have been writing books and stories for years. I am yet to officially publish anything. The main barrier to being published has been that all of the written and unwritten rules make my head spin. For every person that tells you to go about the process one way, there is another person who says to absolutely not do it that way. I have feared doing it the wrong way for so long, that I have not done anything at all.

I had to think about why I enjoy writing. I don't do it to reach any particular level or gain any specific attention. I do it because I enjoy it! It is a form of therapy for me. Sometimes the words spill out of me so quickly that I have to catch them before they are lost forever. So why not just do it and see where it goes? I've always found myself walking the road less traveled, so let's go!

My stories are not perfect. You may love some of them, you may dislike some of them. Some of the illustrations are not so good, drawing is not a strength of mine. I have a drawing tablet, and sometimes spend hours just trying to make a simple smile on my cat not look like Joker from Batman. My drawing process for the cats is literally finding a picture of my cats, and tracing it. You don't want to see a freehand version of me drawing. It's not good. I also have aphantasia. I am blind in the mind, so I can’t create mental images of what I want to draw. I literally have to be looking at something to even have a chance to draw most things. This also makes colors a challenge for me, this will probably be clear if you look at my illustrations. Just in case you feel a strong urge to tell me my illustrations are not great. Sorry, I beat you to it. I already know.

Along with writing for years, I have also worked with children for years. From babysitting, to nannying, to working at day camps, to completing home visits with parents and children to help them interact with their children; I have done it all. I don’t have children of my own, but I have put many other people’s children to bed at night while caring for them. I have helped with homework, dealt with tantrums, went to soccer games, and even sat through parent teacher conferences. Through the years, and these experiences, I have learned a lot about children. I don't consider myself to be an expert. I don’t like the label, as it can sometimes give the impression that an expert has nothing more to learn. What I do consider myself is someone with over twenty years of experience working with children. I am someone with tips, tricks, and observations that I have picked up along the way. You can find that information in the "For Parents" section of Readabear. Some tips may work, some tricks may fail. Always keep in mind, you're probably not doing anything wrong if they don't work. This world is full of people who like to be critics. Parenting is hard, people make mistakes. You’re probably doing fine!

All stories are the property of Reada Bear, that is the only thing that is not in question.