The world was hers for the reading.
- Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -
I try to convey this to my children, who don't seem to have the same passion for reading as I did as a child, or still do. They are more concerned with the newest technology. As an avid reader, I'm flabbergasted, but then I consider that my children's world compared to the one I grew up in is quite different.
I was an only child and lived out of town. There was no internet. Cartoons on any day other than Saturday morning was a child's dream. There were definitely no tablets, personal computers, or video games. Televisions were big and bulky, and mostly black and white. My idea of a summer day was being outside with friends, playing in the dirt, riding my bicycle, or climbing trees. And when I wasn't doing all that and whatever else creative children can come up with, I was reading--all the time.
Now, there are fancy touch-screen phones (mini-computers, really), tablets (even when paying at the local coffee house), personal computers (portable ones too), video games (some with graphics that are mind blowing), computerized glasses (we're delving into sci-fi books I read as a kid), and more.
Different worlds to say the least.
I can't change their world, but I can offer mine, if only at a discounted rate, because it doesn't seem to be worth that much to them. They see me read, and I read to them. I share my enthusiasm for going to the bookstore. I challenge them to read a book quicker than me (they're boys and love to beat anyone at anything). I ask them to read to me, tell me about the book they have to read for school, and what they'd like to read.
In the meantime, I limit their time on technology, not to deprive them of their world, but to not let their world devour them. That way they will know what to do when the power goes out and all they've got is a lit candle and a good book; they'll know it's okay to read it and it might even be enjoyable. Imagine.
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