Michelle and I are avid readers and one of the things I looked forward to about being a dad, establishing bedtime routines, etc. was the chance to read to and with Anderson. I remember my mom reading to us at nights (classics like I'll Love you Forever, the Giving Tree, and as we got older The Call of the Beaver or the Hatchet) and how as a teen I would sneak out back to my hammock to escape to Hogwarts, Battle School, or Dragonmount (I'm only now realizing how much of a Harry Potter fantasy junky I was).
When I first started reading to Anderson he seemed disinterested, if not annoyed to say the least (infants, pfff). I decided to hold off on reading until he was a little more mentally, physically, and emotionally mature so his first interactions with books and reading would be positive. My patience was rewarded and now our little man loves to read his daily book with dad. I think what he enjoys most about it is hearing the inflections of my voice and having me sit or lay beside him as I turn the pages. He often will look at me more than he looks at the book and smiles when I turn to face him as I read from the pages of some of my favorite texts.
I've become a big Jon Muth fan. The themes and illustrations in his books are fantastic and based in his experiences living among and learning from monks and zen masters. Thus, each story has a lesson and there is almost always a wise teacher character to be learned from. I highly recommend his books Stone Soup, Zen Ghosts, and Zen Shorts (among others).
As an afterthought, I know computers, cell phones, etc. are a huge part of our lives and will inevitably have a greater hold in the lives of Anderson and his peers than they ever have in ours (despite our best efforts to help him moderate their use), but I hope he learns first to read, imagine, and enjoy some of the more tangible aspects of books and life before linking into the virtual world. Here's my prayer for you Anderson: learn to love reading printed books, to play outside, and to build real social connections.
Love Dad
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