This was a fun "theme" to write about since I got to go back to my favorite
childhood reads and play the "what-if" game with the characters. In Frances
Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden: Did Mary end up with Colin or Dickon? What
about Sylvia and Bonnie in Joan Aiken's Wolves of Willoughby Chase? Did either
girl ever end up with Simon? I guess we'll never knowbut lovers of L.M.
Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables series are comforted by the knowledge that
lucky Anne did finally end up with Gilbert Blythe. Trulythe best of all
childhood sweetheart sagas!
Maybe we cultivated our first fantasies about childhood romance when we sang this favorite childhood song: "'Jane' and 'Dick' sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G. First comes love, then comes marriage then comes 'Jane' with a baby carriage" This month's list of favorite romances features those that started in childhood. You'll see that most are contemporaries because we did not feature any historicals where there is a child bride and an adult groom. As childhood romances prove, true love will survive the test of time.
What's The Appeal?
Nothing is sweeter than a romance started in childhood. The vows we make as
children are often far more sincere then those we make as adults. Those first
declarations of love are the most pure and true, untainted by the disappointments
in life that seem commonplace to us as adults. Everyone remembers their first
love. Finally, someone—besides your best friend—who really understands you, who
can see into your soul, a true kindred spirit! It's the real magic of childhood
love. Children are an odd combination of innocence and guile. Even the cruelty
and malice exhibited by a child can be purer then that of an adult—just look at
Cathy in Wuthering Heights, which is the quintessential childhood romance. This
dichotomy makes for fascinating reading. Romances which begin in childhood
feature a fascinating twist. The couple, usually separated, finds themselves
reunited later in life. As adults they have changed. Being brought together at
two different times in their life forces them to rediscover one another. It can
be a thrilling combination: the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the
unknown! One of the great conflicts in a childhood romance is that children often
see beyond each other's social background, but are kept apart for financial
reasons. It's rewarding when social barriers are smashed! But mainly the appeal
of a childhood sweetheart romance is that we are reminded of the beauty of small
town life. For isn't it every girl's dream to marry the boy next door? Or at the
very least return home after travelling the world to marry the boy next door?
-Kate Ryan
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