Sons and Daughters and Books
I've never been sorry I had sons instead of daughters. I was shocked, I will admit, to learn that we were having a boy. It had really never occurred to me that my body could create a boy. I know that sounds ridiculous, but wouldn't it make more sense if like created like? Women could create girls and men could create boys? Anyway, after I got over the shock I have never looked back and have often thought I was definitely meant to have boys. Sure, every so often, looking at a particularly sweet little girls' dress I will think 'awwww', but I have no regrets. One small tiny thing that makes me wistful though, is that I couldn't pass on my childhood love of books such as the Little House on the Prairie books, or Anne of Green Gables. Now I'm sure there are some boys that have read them and liked them but just the same...well, not my boys.
My guys both read a fair amount but I don't think they bury themselves in fiction the way I did. Of course, it's also a completely different world so it's a bit of apples and oranges, but just the same, I think you know what I mean. Recently however, Owen told his father that he'd been reading some Ray Bradbury stories online and loving them, so the next time they were out and about, they stopped at Barnes and Noble and Ernie bought Owen a big thick book full of Bradbury stories. It just made me so happy, that he was loving reading. And it made me think how pleased my folks would be.
The other day he came home from school and held the book up in the air, saying, "These stories are SO great! I read 100 pages in school today!" I said, "oh, that's wonderful sweet pea," and then cautiously asked, "uh, where you supposed to be reading it for your class?" And he cheerily responded, "Oh no, it was math and social studies, but these stories are GREAT!"
I just love that boy so damned much.
I had already recounted to him the story of being a junior in high school, in history class, reading away one day from my novel tucked inside my history book. Evidently the teacher called on me, I was totally oblivious and didn't respond, so she just went on and called on someone else. Somebody protested, asking why I didn't get in trouble and she replied that when she was young a teacher had told her she read too much and she was never going to say that to anyone. I didn't even know until someone told me after class.
So it somehow felt full circle and all I could do was laugh....and tell him that he probably should be doing math and social studies during match and social studies....but that I was so happy he loved his book.
My sweet pea.