But every now and then, even the TV seems to be telling you to read more books. This happened the other day when I found The Mouse and the Motorcycle on Netflix. It's a mid-80s adaptation of one of my favorite childhood books. The special effects are horrible. The acting is ridiculous. My son and I both loved it.
So there I was, a dad with a fun childhood memory that my son also appreciated, and an opportunity to spend some quality time together. We started reading a chapter of The Mouse and the Motorcycle together every night before bed.
Jono sleeps in a bunk bed even though he's an only child. It's awesome because the top bunk is awesome. Also, the bottom bunk sometimes gets turned into a cave. Caves? Also awesome.
Anyway, the other night I tucked Jono into his bed and I lay down on the bottom bunk to read him The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I had one of those moments that parents often have but usually don't admit; the "Wow, I'm such a great parent" moment. You know, that moment where you'd never SAY you're a great parent but you would gladly post a picture of your parenting activities on Instagram so everyone knows what a crafty, fun, motivated parent you are? Here's my picture of that moment (though it never made it to Instagram):
See?! See what a great dad I was being?! We have a dang LANTERN in that bedroom! It's like a CAMPOUT or something! We're reading a book that most little boys love! Whoa! Father of the Year?! I mean, I wasn't going to say it... but sure, maybe Instagram could say it for me!
Well, before I had time to add a filter to my photo, I had to actually read a bit of the book to my kid. Details, right? So we started reading. It was stinkin' magical. I was loving it. I assumed Jono was loving it.
Then I heard a page turn.
I hadn't turned a page.
"Hey, what book are you reading up there?" I asked.
"Uh... nothing." Jono replied.
"What is it?"
"Darth Vader and Son," he answered.
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| Darth Vader and Son is a hilarious picture book. I love it. Or I used to. |
"Well, I thought we were reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle!" I whined.
"Um... how about you read your book and I'll read my book," Jono said. "To ourselves."
I let Jono finish his book before turning out the lights. I got on Twitter. I avoided Instagram.
