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John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad - UPDATE: My son just called from his Aeronautical University. He’s taking an intro to rocket science class and the teacher asked “Who’s read The Right Stuff, Apollo 13 or The Martian”
Only a few hands were raised in a packed class so the teacher asked Jack which one he read.
“Dad read me all three”
#winning
Quote
John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad
Reading to my kids for an hour every single night was one of the Top 5 best decisions of my life. When we started, I figured it would last maybe ten years. Turned out to last 16. I can’t even begin to list all the epic novels, but the last I read, my son was Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.
I first read that book in my late twenties and struggled to follow the story. My son was not only able to follow along at 16 but also drew deep connections between the characters.
I distinctly remember a school conference freshman year of high school where every parent was complaining about their teenagers acting out and not listening to their parents. My kids wouldn’t listen to me either, but they would listen to other parents on the pages of great books.
I remember one specific episode we were struggling and decided to read Captain Courageous about a young, spoiled, rich boy who fell off a luxury liner and was picked up by hard New England fishermen. Epic story. I can’t say it cured the problem overnight, but it did really help.
And not just bedtime. I lost track of how many times we drove cross-country and sailed down the coast listening to audiobooks.
My son’s favorite series was Hatchet. My wife’s was Little House. My daughter’s favorite was Harry Potter. I must have read and listened to those series a half dozen times.
CS Lewis, Tolkien, Twain, Stevenson… all great IMHO, but my favorite was Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World. It’s the greatest father-son book of all time.
And it’s funny. My wife refused to read Dalh and I always declined reading The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne which was a favorite of hers. We moved five years ago and about six houses down lives MPO herself…. I just hope she doesn’t read this post
P.S. We didn’t read every night. We sold our TV and purchased a portable projector with a roll-up screen… Friday nights, I’d turn our living room into a movie studio while my wife made pizza and popcorn from scratch.
P.S.2. Each night, I dreaded reading. I just wanted to lay down and relax. But like exercise, it’s painful to get going but feels absolutely amazing at the end.