Making the Connection

I just finished reading this article in the New York Times about a single father and his then 4th grade daughter who set out to read together (for ten minutes or more) for 100 nights straight and it turned into a routine that lasted until she went to college (more than 3,000 nights). I love to read with my kids and I really enjoyed this article. I think the consecutive nights of reading (or “streak” as the father-daughter duo refer to it) is a fun idea, but the single parent in me wonders if I could do it every night.

But really, is that the point? I don’t think so. What this single dad found was a way to connect with his daughter on a fun, engaging, and meaningful (not to mention educational) level. They did the project together. In this commitment to the streak, the daughter found stability in a turbulent time in her life. It gave them that something special. We can all do this in our lives (and probably already do on some level.)

A story like this goes to show that it really is the little things (10 minutes a night) that make the most difference. Last summer my boys and I read Old Yeller outloud together. If you have read it lately you’ll remember it is not exactly a potboiler or rollicking good time, like say Harry Potter. I am sure my sons will remember how long it took to read (many, many nights), how the boy in the book did not have a t.v. or hand-held video game and instead had to go out into the woods with his dog to find food for the family. They probably will remember mommy cried (just little) when Old Yeller died.

But, I hope they also remember that we spent time snuggled up in my bed with the white down comforter (we call it the cloud) reading about people and places far different from ourselves and then we talked about it together. I hope they remember pancakes for dinner and watching movies while we are mashed up on the couch or those days at dusk when we look out to the sky and remark how the swirls of color are always painted differently.

With the crazy pace of life today and the stimulation that seems to never go away, it’s hard to slow down, but we must if only to remember that the little thing can be the foundation for our very special connection with our children.