The Wizard of Oz

I gave the kids as assignment last week. They had to find a book in the library, one that they both collectively agreed on, and I promised I would read it them every possible night before bed. They were very excited about the task.

Both kids are already reading on their own. Frederic can whip through a chapter book in a couple of hours. Lily mostly reads shorter books, but has the ability to plow through stories written for children much older than her. I love the fact that my kids enjoy reading. I did as a child too; still do as an adult too. I have three books that I am currently reading, and most months get through two to four.

My goal with having the kids pick a book for me to read to them stems from the mere fact that we get to spend a lot of time around each other. I work from home, and Cyndi homeschools the kids, so we are together most of the day. Working from home has always been easy for me. The kids respect that I have a job to do, and appreciate the fact that I am able to include them in my day. Most of the time, I work with the door open. Whenever I get a phone call or have to be on a conference call, I close the door. If, for whatever reason, I am on a call and neglected to close the door, either of the kids will close it for me if they happen to walk by and notice the oversight. They insist on giving me the privacy I need.

But being at home much of the time, has its downsides too. Work is readily available to me day or night. I am the kind of guy who checks his email and tools around the Internet before I start writing. So, I am most often checking on my work-side of life on a constant basis. Working from home also lends itself to taking time for granted too. Meaning, the kids are used to seeing me all the time, and I am only "missed" by them if I have to travel or they leave for a homeschool related activity.

Missing people is part of life, I think. When I had to go to an office (four years), I had the 30 minute commute each way and eight to ten hours of work. I would also leave home early so I could get a workout in before I began working. I was gone most of the day, so the time I spent with the kids was minimal. We would jam in activities on the weekends with hopes that quality memories were being built for all of us.

Not so much anymore. While work time and personal time are appropriately divided, they still have the opportunity to stop in my office, tell me about their day for a minute, and move on. They still have the opportunity to have lunch with me, see me conduct business, ask questions about my day as they come up.

When my kids grow up, I am concerned that they will not remember something I cannot recall my father ever did for me: read to them. I have no recollection at all of my father ever cracking a book open and uttering the phrase, "Once upon a time." I hold no animosity for him about this; it's just a simple fact.

I had that thought in mind when I made the proposal to the kids. It had been a long time since I sat with either of them and read a book together. A couple of years ago, Frederic and I got through the first two books of "The Chronicles of Narnia," but we never got any further. I just stopped taking the time. I decided, no more excuses. They are getting older much quicker than I anticipated. Before I know it, Frederic will be too old to want me to read to him. Before I know it, Lily would rather be out with her friends than sit next to her father and hear a story. Time is not standing still for any of us, so I am taking advantage of their youth.

They picked "The Wizard of Oz." We've all seen the movie--several times--but, six chapters into it, I am glad they picked this story. We get through a chapter and they want more, Cyndi too. We talk about the differences we see from the movie version to the original source. We have learned about L. Frank Baum, the book's author, and how he failed at several businesses before settling on children's stories. We learned that the original title was "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." We learned than Baum wrote 13 more Oz stories before he died and that several other authors wrote 26 more.

Right now, we just want to get through this one. We try and read a chapter a day, but most days I've read two. I have accomplished everything I wanted to so far and more, and we are only going on Chapter 7.

Who knows what will happen after Oz is over. Whatever it may be, I hope the memory lasts.