Monkey See, Monkey (Sort Of) Do, And An Incidental Cautionary Tale

[dr_pretentious]

Because reading is the only grown-up activity that's really compatible with being on baby duty, it's the activity Gareth sees me do more often than any other. Most household tasks require two hands, and many of them are hard to drop immediately when the baby gets into something he shouldn't. It's not a coincidence that most injuries to children under five happen while their adults are preparing meals. Fortunately for Gareth, I've always been a terrible housekeeper.

We go out a lot, to parks and kids' sections of libraries, to bookstores and playgrounds, and of course to Starbucks (my unnatural habitat), because those are places where I can alternate between vigorous games of peekaboo and slow perambulations holding a book in one hand while Gareth tows me along, his little fist gripping my pantleg.

Sounds kind of charming, doesn't it? Actually, while I was letting Gareth tow me around Starbucks and reading a book with half an eye's attention, a couple of thieves noticed I had my back turned to my stroller. They lifted my wallet right out of my purse. I noticed the theft within a couple of minutes, and everything's going to be just fine. But by the time Bank of America had finished turning off all the relevant plastic, the thieves had made about $7000 in purchases up and down Route 18. Turns out mothers of toddlers make notoriously easy targets. With my nose in a book, I was an easier target than most.

But hours on the phone with the fraud claims office can't get me down, no, because Gareth has started demanding that we read to him. He chases Dan and me across the house, carrying his little board books, and prods us with them. Better yet, he likes to turn the pages himself. This is the kid whose first birthday isn't for two more weeks.

I'd been feeling a little guilty about forcing him to share my attention with the books I read, comforting myself with the thought that at least I was modeling reading behavior. I wasn't expecting to see him imitate it so soon.

Comments

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

You go! One of the best things my mother ever did for me was read to me incessantly -- I was reading on my own at 3 and consistently read three to six years above my grade level all through school. It also made a huge difference in how well I *write*, and made English and Composition classes a breeze.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

My mom has always asserted that I was reading at three. It wasn't until I watched my niece approaching literacy that I believed it was possible.

The list of things my mom did right about teaching me to read and write would be a long, long list. Watching her with Gareth and my nieces is incredibly useful. She has no formal training in early childhood education, but she has a tremendous instinct for it.

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's possible. I vaguely remember being MAD that I wasn't allowed to get a library card until I was five. I still remember the first book I checked out, a children's book entitled "The Witch and the Warlock," which I cannot find any trace of now -- but I'm certain that was the title, I remember it *wasn't* "wizard". I don't remember the story particularly well -- they were friends, but a bit competitive, and I don't remember how it ended, although it ended well, of course -- friendship repaired, that sort of thing.

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the wallet.

But... GO GARETH!!!

As a mother, clearly you rock.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

There are some things I feel I'm doing pretty well.

Thank you, by the way, for the lovely teapot. You didn't need to, you know. My first thought was that I should send you a replacement finger for the one my broken teapot sliced up, but then I realized I'd never find a Fair Trade source for replacement fingers.

[serbrew.livejournal.com]

When my niece was maybe 3 or 4, when her parents would put her to bed, she would request a song. I suppose that they would sing to her periodically anyway, but then she started to get creative. "No mommy, I have heard that one before. A different song please."

It did not take them long to begin using the same tune, but begin to Filk.

Sorry to hear about your wallet. Glad you noticed it quickly though!

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Dan's really great at improvising songs. He's very Zen about it--usually, once a new Dan song has fulfilled its first purpose, he immediately forgets it. I'm not much in the musical talent department, but I do have a pretty good memory for Dan's silly songs, which is why we have a burgeoning repertoire. My musical contributions are mostly filks, like the reggae ode to jammies.

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Hon, I am sorry about the wallet theft! You made a police report, right? It's a horrible pain, but you shouldn't be liable for the charges.

But about Gareth's early reading behaviors---WOOOO HOOOO! Wonderful!

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I filed a police report immediately. We should be through nearly all the inconvenience by now. The thing I feel worst about with this whole stolen wallet thing is that I had some checks from my tutoring clients that I hadn't deposited yet, so now the thieves have the routing numbers for their accounts, too. I had to call all the client moms and tell them to watch for fraud, and to consider closing their accounts. It bugs me that my inattention exposed three other families to potential trouble.

if you get the chance.......

[gwisteria.livejournal.com]

go to you tube and search taylor mali and then watch his spoken poetry called "reading allowed" it makes me cry and sorry about your wallet dear

Re: if you get the chance.......

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Taylor Mali pointer. One of my fellow grad school survivors sent me a link to his website, to his poem "What Teachers Make," and that one left an impression. I'd always meant to go track down more of his stuff.

Re: if you get the chance.......

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

Love love LOVE Taylor Mali.

This one makes me cry every damned time I read it. EVERY time. Even if I read it five times in one day.

Re: if you get the chance.......

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

Here's the link, for the convenience of others. :-)

[violet-moon25.livejournal.com]

Andrew also started being interested in books somewhere around 12-18 months. He loves getting stories read to him (especially as a way to legnthen the bedtime ritual). He isn't ready to start reading right away but he recognizes most letters (I credit Sesame Street as much as our parenting though).

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I remember fondly you and David reciting But Not the Hippopotamus. No wonder he loves being read to.

Nano?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Sarah,
I don't know if you remeber me but we did Nano together in 06. I had red hair and wrote the novel SEWER RUn about a killer who is after 2 men who escaped him when they were young. We met at the Starbucks on RT. 18 a few times. Anyway I realised I still had you as a writing buddy and was wondering if you were writing this November. I see you had your baby - congratulations!! You can e-mail me at wordmage38@yahoo.com or visit my blog at wordmage.wordpress.com to see what my new fantasy novel is all about.

Re: Nano?

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I absolutely remember you! Your description of the memory that gave you the idea for your '06 project was so vivid, I remember it as if I'd seen it with my own eyes.

This year I won't be doing Nano by the book, as it were, because I owe my editor a 25K novella that's only about a third of the way to roughed out right now. I might try to work with some of that old Nanowrimo energy to get the first draft finished, though. Maybe I could crash some of the write-ins?