With the birth of my latest grandson last week, I’m naturally wondering what kind of person he will be. I know his parents have their own set of hopes for him, but I’m allowed to hope also. I’m pretty sure our hopes intersect at several points.
Certainly, he will be musical. Both his parents are wonderful musicians. Poor kid doesn’t have a chance. They even named him after a great guitarist. Just hope he doesn’t drive his parents too crazy with the direction he takes, though.
Another thing his mother has already mentioned to me is that he will be a reader. Now, everyone has to develop his own style, and that’s as true with reading as it is with any other activity. But, for my part, I just want to make sure he’s surrounded by people who read and by quality reading materials. It’s up to him to absorb what he needs to be a good person. In our family, that’s easy. Family gatherings inevitably lead to book discussions or movies and how terrible they are compared to the books. Our nine-year-old grandson struggles a bit with reading, but I have faith that he also will eventually learn to appreciate his own efforts.
I do regret that SR will not be among those who discovered some of the great writers of literature for the first time, but I also regret that I won’t be around to discover some of the newer talent with him. I was four when The Cat in the Hat was published. Unbelievably perfect timing – for me. But, to SR, Dr. Seuss will always be that dead guy. But I also know many, many up-and-coming writers who will see to it that quality literature will be there for my grandsons. And it feels great to be able to see that happening.
Welcome, little guy!
Childish Nonsense 