Lately, I walk in the door and my 9-year-old son asks me, "Can we read The Hobbit tonight?"
The fourth child never gets the same nurturing attention that earlier kids get. So I haven't read as much to this one. He was too young even to sit still as I read out loud every book in the Harry Potter
series to the rest of the family. He was always off playing elsewhere.He was reluctant to undertake the Hobbit with me. It's a daunting book to a boy. Probably has a lot of unfamiliar words, etc. But with a little gentle persuasion, and a promise that would just read a couple of pages to start, he agreed.
After five pages I asked, "Do you want to quit now?" "No." We read about 15 pages that first sitting.
Tonight he was disappointed that we didn't have much time to read, so I suggested that he do his homework in the afternoon instead of after dinner. He realized that would give us about two hours to read. God willing, a reader in the making. Maybe it's not too late.
