Tom Walker and The 5 Star Biz Quiz

From Rae Duke, Religion and Ethics teacher and broadcaster.
My daughter’s got a pretty decent book collection. There are loads of fun quick reads: The Feminist Baby, She’s Not Good for a Girl, She’s Just Good (you can see a theme developing there), Rocket Science for Babies… But the other night I picked out a lengthier, and as then unread, tale from Rory’s bookshelf that really left me – rather fittingly – pausing for thought! If you’ve not read it, I promise I won’t ruin the ending - The Velveteen Rabbit tells the story of a stuffed rabbit who is pooh-poohed by the more modern, mechanical toys of the nursery; those that boast about being ‘Real’. 
Obviously the rabbit feels a little glum at this point but after a chat with the oldest toy on the block, he learns that ‘Real’ isn’t how you’re made, but instead what you can become when you’re loved by others - and by yourself. Of course, over time our floppy eared pal does become ‘Real’, (and I’ll stop there with the plot, as there’s still a twist to discover…) It’s a fable that confronts the massive question; who am I? How do I ‘become’ the full version of me? Now, it may take some patience as, according to this kid classic, and I quote; “it doesn’t happen all at once… It takes a long time. 
Generally, by the time you are ‘Real’, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out.” (A bleak summary of the human ageing process right there!) I guess its trying to convey that there’s no point being concerned with staying protected and pristine, after all – and here’s a quote I love - “a ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not what a ship is for.” Stanley Hauerwas, the Christian theologian and ethicist, has written lots about developing virtues like kindness, joy and constancy to become someone of good character. He’s concluded that those that succeed quotes “know themselves…” and have in fact become “who (they’ve) been called to be.” 
So as my daughter grows and we re-read, (and re-read!), the Velveteen rabbit together, I’ll be translating becoming ‘Real’ to that all-important adventure of figuring out who we are and then embracing, and honing, what we find when we get there. And I guess I’ll have to leave the eye-dropping-out and hair-loving-off references to Mother Nature – perhaps with a little help from an anti-wrinkle potion or two!