Sharing the joy of reading
The last few weeks has brought about a lot of developmental changes for my boy - the smile is out and about, the cooing is hitting a few different pitch scales, the eyes have been figuring out focus. And also he is belligerently expressing opinions. Hold him poorly and you’ll face his lip curling, pink faced cry of “WTF”, hold him well and his body loosens up in gentle agreement.
While we have been figuring out life in the midst of this new addition, he’s been growing by leaps and bounds - accelerating his understanding of the world and discovering new things. A couple of months ago, he could barely stay awake. Now, he has views on what his reality should be. With fast growth, comes new challenges. These constant changes mean that we have to constantly figure out ways to keep him engaged. My rusty singing voice is out and about grating on some chartbusters (rhymes have been hard to master), and I am scaling the mountain of baby talk (this has been particularly weird to begin with) and reading!
Reading (for myself) is one of those hobbies that I’ve managed to sustain right from childhood. There are very few things in the world that I rate above settling down with a book and a coffee on a cold winter day or even a sunny Saturday morning. Loitering around book stores aimlessly browsing through covers until one catches my eye is right up there in the top 15 as well. Sharing that activity with my kid has been a bonding experience, that’s given me a lot of joy in these past few weeks.
On some days, it is the first thing in the morning - as early as 5 am, and on others it’s like a late afternoon snack. When I whip out the book and sit alongside him (devices kept far away from reach), we enter a magical world together. Sometimes, he coos along in rapt attention, acknowledging the lines and the attempted rhymes. Other times, he is too busy staring at the polka dotted scarf hanging above him on his play mat. And I, like a broadway hopeful hoping to entice the casting crew make an earnest attempt to entertain.
Children’s books are fun, filled with magic and the promise of life. The lines are simple, but the message is loud. Simplicity is the fastest way to the mind. As much as it is a great developmental activity for the newborn, it’s been a lovely way to begin my mornings with a message of hope, love or even just a silly rhyme before the first email finds its way through my defenses. Continuous adulting can hide the magic of life, replacing it with the drudgery of spreadsheets, insurance claim forms amongst other gut wrenching activities. But, magic does exist. Sometimes, you’ll need to flip the pages of a board book to find it.
Shoutout to this amazing newsletter by Sarah Miller for giving me the next set of discoveries. I’ve been rabbit holing on this one.
This brought tears to my eyes, Anerudh. I remember these moments with my own newborns like they were yesterday (which is a feat, considering that even much of the good disappears into a mysterious, sleep-deprived fog after awhile). This line especially: "...it’s been a lovely way to begin my mornings with a message of hope, love or even just a silly rhyme before the first email finds its way through my defenses." I just feel happy that someone, somewhere, gets to have this experience with their child.
Thank you also for the shout-out 😊 I appreciate it!