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My son, Andrew (age 7) has been reading way too much Pokemon and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  The result has been an infusion of ideas and habits that aren’t necessarily all that helpful from a behavioral perspective.

Suddenly, I realized that maybe I, the scholar-father, should make sure he reads something GOOD.  Brilliant, I know.

So, last night I introduced him to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I had him read the first chapter on his own.  He liked it and accurately reported back what happened.  I laid in bed with him and read the next couple of chapters.  I could tell he liked it because he occasionally finished a sentence ahead of me in a voice of wonderment.

Around 8 pm, I left him in bed with his lamp on and a bookmark in the book (he doesn’t tolerate folded corners like his old man).

When I checked on him before retiring myself around 11 pm, I could tell he wasn’t really asleep.  He knew that I knew and looked at me.

“Andrew, have you been up reading all this time?”

“I finished it.”

I asked him what character he liked the best.  OS-LAHN, he enunciated.

Daddy couldn’t resist rubbing the secret late night reader on the head and feeling rather triumphant as he walked out the door.

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More on: C. S. Lewis

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