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Distracted by Harry Potter
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___Alison would have started the column this week, but she’s too immersed in the latest Harry Potter book. She’s like a kid with a new toy or a dog with a new bone; it’s nearly impossible to pull her away.
___ But that’s the way life is around
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MARK WINGFIELD
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our house most of the time anyway. I fail to get much reading done because there are too many distractions; Alison fails to get distracted because there’s too much reading to be done.
___ Put her in the middle of a good book--well, maybe even a mediocre book--and a herd of reindeer could prance through the room without her noticing.
___ Amazingly, this appears to be a genetic trait, because it’s been passed down to both our boys. We’ve encouraged them to read since before they could talk. And now we’re paying the price.
___ Both of them commonly walk through the house reading a book as they go. I haven’t figured out how they keep from either losing their place or their balance, but so far, no bookworms have been squashed.
___ Like their mother, both Luke and Garrett go stone cold deaf while reading. It’s like there’s a little switch between the eyes and the ears that shuts down the ears the minute the eyes engage on a book.
___ I have been known to speak to them loudly while they’re reading--sometimes repeating the same information three or four times without eliciting so much as a grunt from them in return.
___ Maybe I should start writing them books filled with all the things I want them to know and do.
Mark Wingfield is managing editor of the Standard. Alison Wingfield is a freelance writer. The Wingfields moved to Texas from Louisville, Ky., where Mark had been editor of the Western Recorder, in which this column appeared weekly. |
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___It’s true. There’s nothing I like better than to curl up with a good book.
___ My mother instilled a love for books in me. She also was an avid reader. Walking to the library was a favorite outing (of course, at the time I
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ALISON WINGFIELD
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complained about walking instead of driving). We often would stop at this wonderful French bakery across the street from the library.
___ When I was a child, I found a cozy place, surrounded myself with my stuffed animals and read books. And whenever I was sick and my mom got me a treat, it was usually a book. As I got older, I remember resenting all the homework I had during the school year--primarily because it meant I didn’t have time to read for pleasure.
___ It is wonderful to see the boys carrying on the tradition. However, I do get irritated when I can’t get their attention. Serves me right, I know.
___ But the up side is that they are usually well occupied on car trips and even when we’re running errands. The hardest part is getting them out of the car. They can’t put down their books long enough to unbuckle their seat belts.
___ Mark doesn’t know what he’s missing. He’s the doer in our family (everyone needs one). He’s always busy with something, whether it’s organizing a neighborhood ice cream social or working on a Cub Scout web page. Even if he tries to read in bed, he’s asleep before he gets through one page.
___ The corollary to reading books is buying books. Amazon.com is a major temptation these days. Very dangerous. And when the boys bring home those Scholastic book orders, I’m a sucker. No matter what limit I put on it, we always end up buying more than I intended.
___ And now, back to Harry Potter (it’s getting very intense).
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